Sleep and Weight Loss

I was trying to think of what to write today and all I could think was "I just don't wanna... I just want to sleep!" That I haven't slept well the last few nights isn't a new thing for me. I've always had some trouble with insomnia. It turns out I'm not alone in the world of parallel issues of sleeping problems and weight gain.

I could have guessed the problems were related like this: I'm up late at night and eventually I get hungry and then eat at 3am. I'm too tired to do anything the next day, so I sit on my ass (and then inevitably eat more crap). Presto chango fatso.

But there is evidence that there is more at work than my simple fatty eating habits when I'm being an insomniac or a tired sloth. According to an article on SparkPeople (which is a really cool website, by the way), lack of sleep can mess with hormones affecting weight loss too.

The research shows that excess Cortisol is released when we don't get enough sleep. This is the same hormone released when we stress out. My understanding is that basically, Cortisol makes us feel hungry even when we're full. So we eat more and--say it with me--presto chango fatso.

Not sleeping also decreases growth hormone, so we can't grow as much muscle or burn as much fat. We also won't burn carbohydrates as well when we're tossing and turning all night, meaning that we store more as fat and also elevate insulin levels, which can lead to diabetes. If that's not enough, our freaking bodies start conserving energy when we don't get enough sleep, as in KEEPING THE FAT. Lame.

So it seems a crucial part of my weight loss plan has to be getting better sleep. Starting right now. Night!!

<3
Jessica