HOW SLEEPING BETTER LEADS TO WEIGHT LOSS

Sounds too good to be true? Science says otherwise!

The truth is that sleep is linked to weight loss in a number of ways—you just didn’t know it until now.

The quality of your sleep will have a huge influence on your body’s ability to shed pounds.

Sleep well, and you’ll have a much easier time losing weight. Sleep poorly, and you’re going to struggle with weight loss far more than you realize.

Below, we’re going to take a deep dive into the links between sleep and weight loss, so you can understand how sleeping better will help you drop weight like a boss!

The Link Between Sleep Loss and Obesity

You’d be amazed by how many studies have found that sleep loss and poor sleep are linked to a higher BMI, slower metabolism, and obesity!

For example, one study found that adults were 55% more likely to become obese as a result of poor sleep habits. Worse, however, is the fact that that number rises to 89% for children—they’re that much more likely to become obese because of poor sleep.

Another study found that people who sleep less (around 5 hours per night) tend to gain weight. In this particular study, the adults gained 1.8 pounds over just a five-night study!

Why does this happen? Why is poor sleep quality linked to obesity? Here are a few reasons:

1) Sleep loss can lead to appetite control problems.

This is actually our brain’s fault. You see, when we don’t get enough sleep, our brains kind of get their signal wires crossed. When our body sends fatigue signals, our tired brains mis-translate those signals as “hunger pangs”, so we end up eating more (typically snacking on high-carb and high-sugar foods) as a result. But we’re not actually hungry! Sadly, our brains are just too tired to tell the difference between hunger and sleepiness.

Sleep loss can also lead to appetite hormone imbalances, too. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more of the hunger hormone ghrelin than usual, and less of the satiety hormone leptin than usual. This not only makes you hungrier than normal, but actually makes it take longer for your body to send satiety signals after eating. You’ll typically end up eating more than you need because of this hunger hormone imbalance.

And if that’s not already bad enough, sleep loss has been linked to higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol has been known to increase appetite, so you end up eating more than usual (or necessary) because of this sleep loss-related stress.

2) Sleep loss can lead to increased caloric intake and decreased nutrition. Talk about a double whammy! Not only will you eat more, but the quality of the foods you eat will be much lower.

This could be linked to the appetite control problems mentioned above, but studies have proven that it’s harder to make healthy dietary choices when you’re sleep-deprived. Often, you just feel so tired that you go for whatever is most convenient or easily available—which, in this modern day and age, is always going to be highly processed junk food.

Sleep deprivation can lead to snacking, typically in the evening, after a healthy dinner, and almost always unhealthy (high-carb and high-sugar) foods. You struggle more to control your portion sizes, have a harder time resisting “crave” foods, and tend to overeat more easily.

3) Sleep loss can lower your metabolic rate. Your body is always burning calories throughout the day—this is called your “resting metabolic rate”. That rate rises when you exercise, but sleep loss can actually decrease your resting metabolic rate and cause you to burn fewer calories throughout the day.

One study found that just one night of sleep loss led to a 5% decrease in their resting metabolic rate, and a post-prandial metabolic rate decrease of 20%! That’s a lot fewer calories burned in a day, all thanks to sleep loss.

As you can see, it’s vital that you get better sleep. Proper sleep quality can do marvels for your weight loss efforts, as it helps to:

• Give you better self-control over your diet choices. Studies have proven that you’re more prone to stick with even a difficult diet if you’re well-rested and start your day off with a healthy meal.

• Raise your metabolism, both your resting metabolic rate and your metabolism after exercise. This naturally leads to more calories being burned throughout the day, helping you to expend more energy than you consume.

• Enhance physical activity. A good night of sleep will stop you from feeling daytime fatigue, fatigue that could interfere with your daily workout. You’ll have more energy at workout time and will have an easier time pushing your body to burn more calories.

• Prevent insulin resistance. Sleeping well helps your body to stay sensitive to insulin, which controls the amount of blood sugar available in your body. Decreased insulin sensitivity is a precursor to diabetes, but it can also contribute to weight gain.

• Reduce cravings. All those “tiredness” signals that are being mis-translated as “hunger” signals are going to trigger cravings, but if you sleep well at night, you’ll find that this stops being a problem.

You may be wondering, “How can I sleep better and lose weight more easily?” This is definitely something that everyone wants, and now more so than ever.

That’s where our Sleep Slim Tea comes in beautifully handy!

This tea is formulated to both encourage sleep and promote weight loss overnight. It’s made with ingredients that will relax your mind and body at night, helping you slip into a deep, restful sleep and stay asleep throughout the night. It’s also got ingredients that will help your body burn calories overnight, leading to a higher resting metabolic rate. Together, these two effects can maximize your weight loss and help you sleep better than ever before.