One of the topics I cover in my weekly Wednesday Seminars is how our sleep effects our weight. Weight gain is one of the side effects of lack of sleep. Several studies have shown that this is the case. In 2010, 35,000 employees of an electric power company were studied. Most employees were male. The study found that men who slept five or less hours a night were more likely to experience weight gain than those who slept seven to eight hours a night. Too much sleep, nine plus hours, was also related to weight gain in these men.
Women are also affected according to a 2006 study from the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Women who slept less than five hours a night were 32% more likely to gain 33 pounds or more per year over a sixteen year study than women who slept at least seven hours a night.
Lack of sleep lowers leptin levels. Leptin ins a protein that regulates and controls appetite. Low levels of leptin may increase appetite which can lead to eating more and causing weight gain. This can also lead to sleep apnea due to gaining weight in the throat and decreasing the breathing pathway. Obesity causes sleep apnea, which leads to more weight gain.
The trick is to get to bed between 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Retiring to bed earlier will allow you to reach the deep REM, rapid eye movement, sleep. By midnight growth hormone is released for up to two hours. Growth hormone is a fat burning hormone. This is why not only sleeping seven to eight hours is good but it’s important to sleep throughout the nights without getting up to use the bathroom. Getting up in the night to urinate could be a sign of pre-diabetes, Candida, or prostate swelling in men.
To go to bed at a good time try taking a warm bath or reading a good book, but not a really good book or you may not want to put it down. Read something uplifting, positive and motivating such as self-help books. Avoid watching TV due to all the negative news. Spend time in the evening with family and friends and avoid eating later than 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. Decrease your water intake after 6 o’clock at night.
As you take these steps to get a better nights sleep, you will see great results not only with weight loss but overall health. Sleep is just one of the factors that we address in dealing with weight gain.
We continue to see incredible lives changed in our clinic. Whether you are just trying to lose that extra weight or get over chronic health issues, take time to attend one of our free seminars on Wednesday evenings. For the next month I am giving every one who attends a copy of my new book, “Improve the Quality of Your Life – Why Live in Pain?” We look forward to seeing you.
As always I appreciate you taking time to read my blogs. Always feel free to contact me by email or by calling my office with any question you may have. I truly enjoy helping all I can achieve a wonderful Quality of Life. Life is meant to be lived each and every day with passion and excitement. There is so much good out there if we just look for it. For those of you who have lived a life of pain, whether physical or emotional, you can change that. Just decide to. Make up your mind that it is you sailing your own ship. And although the winds may be rough YOU still have the choice to steer the rudder and go in a different direction. I have discovered in my own life that the winds and rough water will eventually cease. But how far have we let them drive our ship the wrong direction? Life is full of both mountains and valleys. But remember it is usually in the valleys we grow the food we will eat on the mountain.
Until next week, have the best week of your life. Just DECIDE too.
