It's officially a new year, and with the new year comes the resolutions. Losing weight is one of the top resolutions, but there is more to dropping the pounds than what you eat and how much you exercise.
In fact, successful weight loss is a culmination of several different factors including what you eat, when you eat, how much you exercise, your sleep schedule, and your stress levels.
How Does Sleep Affect Your Weight?
Not getting enough sleep can affect weight loss levels. Failing to get a full night’s sleep throws your hunger hormones out of whack. Leptin, a hormone that makes you feel full, plummets when you don’t have enough sleep. Ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry, skyrockets when you don’t get in those “Z’s.” Together, this leads to overeating that can sabotage weight loss efforts.
Studies have also found that sleep-deprived individuals tend to eat less during the day, but add to their calorie total late at night. In fact, one medical study found late-night snacks can have a calorie total higher than any one meal for most people, and the biggest snack lovers were people who failed to get a proper night’s sleep.
Persistent night owls are also more likely to give into food temptations, and the later it is, the worse the food options seem to get. Late-night snack fans tend to eat food higher in saturated fats and carbohydrates.
How Does My Stress Level Thwart My Weight Loss Efforts?
Stress is a common problem for the American population. According to the American Psychological Association, 44% is stressed, and it is becoming a significant health problem. Stress can have a negative impact on your psyche, but it can also affect your waistline, too.
When you are stressed out, your body releases cortisol, which contributes to weight gain. Cortisol is a hormone that promotes the production of fat. If your cortisol levels are high enough for long enough, the production of fat can negatively impact your scale, too.
Aside from the production of cortisol, your stress levels might send you looking for a snack. Many people soothe themselves with foods they love, and foods people enjoy tend to be the least healthy options available. After all, they don’t call it comfort food for no reason.
How To Curb These Issues
In order to fix both your sleeping issues and your stress problems, you’ll need to be fully aware of what is triggering your issues, and deal with them head-on. Thankfully there are plenty of apps that can help you better understand what is keeping you up at night, and help you soothe a stressed out mind.
- Calm app is one of Matrix Age Management's favorite apps. This top-rated app helps you relax your body, calm your nerves, and refresh your mind through breathing and meditation.
- Need music to help you destress? Then the Relax app may be perfect for you. It uses soothing graphics and music to help reduce stress, insomnia, and anxiety. It’s best for sleeping, meditation, and yoga.
- Sleep Cycle, a free app for both iOs and Android, records your movements during the night and analyzes your sleep pattern. The first step in dealing with your sleep troubles is knowing what your sleep patterns look like.
- If you have a hard time falling into a peaceful slumber because you are stressed, try out Digipill. Digipill is an app that has an arsenal of tools to meet your sleep and stress needs, and they all come in the form of 30-minute treatments.
Finally, consider contacting the professionals at Matrix Age Management. We can help you develop a plan that will get you on the right track and begin to turn back the hands of time.
