Is more sleep the key to unlocking your fat loss goals?

In the world of fitness, everyone wants to know what to eat, and what to do in order to reach their goals. Let’s face it, the majority of people in the fitness world are interested in one thing, losing weight and looking good. Okay, maybe two things.

A recent discussion I had with one of our members was about an article they read saying “Not sleeping can lead to weight gain”. I thought this would be a good topic to go over in a blog.

When you do not sleep, you are low on energy and when you are low on energy, your body begins looking for glucose (aka sugar) for energy to help you through the long tasks during your day.

In order to get more glucose, you must eat more glucose, or your body will make it via gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is where the body will generate glucose from certain non-carbohydrate carbon substrates, usually protein, fat, or muscle, in search of glucose to produce energy.

In addition to searching for energy, your cortisol (stress hormone) is often high when striving to function on little sleep. Excess cortisol directly contributes to excess belly fat. So “yes” sleeping more can help prevent belly fat.

As a result, your body is looking to boost insulin to help bring down cortisol since the two oppose each other. As we all may know by now, sugar of course boosts insulin.

So make sure you are getting at least eight hours of sleep each night to help soften enhanced glucose craving to help counteract spikes in cortisol. Keep cortisol levels regulated by sleeping and striving to live a low stress life.

Some tips to help enhance your sleep,

• Have black out curtains fitted,
• Take a magnesium supplement such as Higher Natures Relax drink in the evenings to help aid in relaxing your muscles,
• Keep blue light out of the bedroom, blue light is emitted by most electronic devices, so lying in bed with your phone or iPad 8 inches away from your face just before you expect to go to sleep will stimulate your brain into thinking it’s time to wake up and is counterproductive to a peaceful night’s sleep.
• Strive to have some quiet time 30 to 40 mins before you intend to head to bed, give your body time to slowly adjust to the slower pace of the evening, where you are not worrying about that little thing called life.

You may be surprised at how much this can help with your body composition goals.

Sleep well 

Hayden

References:?Orfeu Buxton, Dr., and Janet Mullington, Dr. “Sleep and Disease Risk.” Healthy Sleep. Division Of Sleep and Medicine at Harvard Medical School, 4 Mar. 2016. Web. 1 Oct. 2007.