Resting (Sleep)

Ghrelin. It’s a late night adventurer’s worst nightmare creature.

Ghrelin is a hormone that tells your brain that you are hungry, and at the same time, suppresses the hormone that makes you feel full (Leptin). That’s a normal process, but here’s the kick – If you sleep less than 8 hours a night, your Ghrelin levels increase past the natural amount. The less you sleep, the bigger this monster becomes. Not only that, but another hormone that regulates your appetite, Cortisol, is known to weaken and slow down in production when we don’t rest and sleep enough.

Grehlin - What a little douchebag!

Aside from hormones, less sleep or broken sleep messes with your body’s ability to correctly metabolize the carbs you’ve had that day, resulting in high levels of blood sugar. And when you have more blood sugar than you should have naturally, it jacks up your insulin levels. That stores excess body fat and puts you at a higher risk for the development of diabetes.

Diabetes (which sometimes carries a sword and shield).

It doesn’t take a study to know that humans are snoozing less and less as time goes on. I guess there’s just more to do, eh? Well, there’s a bigger link than you would think between the fact that Americans get less sleep than average countries and weigh more than average countries.

Besides this increase in Ghrelin, weakening of Leptin and Cortisol, and excessive blood sugar levels, it’s just common sense – Less sleep equals less physical productivity, less concentration, more stress, and unhappiness. All of these add to our weight during the day and lead us to make less healthy decisions, or decisions at all, really.

This can become a bitch of a double-edged sword, because chances are if you’re overweight, you have sleep problems. Being obese can give you sleep apnea, which causes you to randomly start and stop breathing at night, giving you broken, restless sleep (and is pretty terrifying when you think about it). Of course, if you have a large frame, sleeping comfortably without back or neck pain is sometimes difficult. Worrying about your sleep or being depressed about your appearance can easily carry over into your subconscious and give you insomnia.

It’s a catastrophe, right? Well, the good news is that weight loss and good sleep go hand and hand, and not a lot of people make that connection. Having trouble sleeping? Lose some weight. Having trouble losing weight? Get some sleep. Eventually, both sides of this factor of your health will comfort each other and make you a better person.

Seriously! Just get some damned rest, already. Zzzz...

Sleeping to lose weight, who would’ve thunk it?

Here’s some more tips on getting better sleep to help regulate your appetite and weight:

• Keep up your exercise, but try to cool it down and begin your resting process at least 3 hours before your bedtime

• Avoid cigarettes, caffeine, and alcohol starting by late afternoon (or at all times if you really want to do this, honestly)

• Mainly use your bed only for sleeping. Try not to use it as a constant place to watch tv, hang out with friends, etc. Keeping your bed as just a bed will kick it into your brain that, hey, this thing is for sleeping, and it’s time to sleep, nothing else

• Make up a ritual or two that you can do every night such as reading a few chapters from a book before bed or taking a Mariah Carey-style diva bubble bath, etc. Whatever works

• Generally, darkness and quiet will help you have a wonderful, flowing sleep. Try for as much of both as you can