Type 2 diabetes and weight loss: Lack of sleep can lead to weight gain
Looking to jump-start your health and fitness regimen and lower your blood sugar? If so, there is an area of your life that you need to get in order: your sleep. For some people, the key to better weight control may lie in a good night’s sleep.
As much of a challenge as it is, sleep will be the biggest factor in how healthy you feel. You do not believe me? Get five hours of sleep for two to three weeks straight and see how you think and how many snacks you eat for energy. You will become miserable. Now, you may be one of those few people who don’t need much sleep, but most people aren’t like that. They need sleep to survive and stay healthy. Therefore, it can be helpful to gain an understanding of the main factors that influence your sleep to make sure they don’t get in the way of your sleep.
For almost everyone, three things will have the most significant effect. I call them the three “S’s”. Is it so…
1. Stress. If you feel stressed, this will affect your ability to fall asleep. We all experience stress at times, but the more we can control our anxiety, the healthier we will be.
Don’t know how to fight stress? Try meditation. Or even take a deep breath if you can’t meditate for whatever reason. Exercise is also a useful way to help reduce stress.
2. Screens. Electronic screens are another major source of stress that should be avoided. The problem is that the electronics are going to emit a type of light that tends to stimulate your brain. By doing so, it wires you up to be awake, making it nearly impossible to fall asleep.
Many people have a habit of looking at their cell phone before falling asleep: this is one of the worst actions that can be taken when waiting to fall asleep. Turn off your cell phone and any other electronic devices at least one hour before bed.
3. Stimulants. Watch your stimulants: Caffeine may be holding you back. How many people drink coffee well into the afternoon and then complain of trouble sleeping? Too many to count. Eliminate caffeine if you can, and if you can’t, at least limit yourself to drinking no more than 100 mg before 10 am. This way, the caffeine will be mostly out of your system before bed.
Keep in mind that caffeine has a half-life of six hours, so after six hours have passed, there’s still half of that caffeine left. Caffeine consumed six hours before bed affects the amount of sleep in more than one hour. Because of this, if you have trouble sleeping, you should stop drinking coffee 12 hours before bedtime. Try decaf instead.
It’s essential that you get the rest you need: sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain even if you eat well and exercise.