Sleep

Hello All,

Ever wake up in the morning and wish you could sleep just a bit more? (He is kidding me right?).

This week’s newsletter is a slightly light-hearted look at a very serious issue affecting many of us.

I have recently been to a number of events on my ‘Saturday off’ jam packed with lunches, dinners, late night celebrations. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time but I was SO tired and SO sleep deprived and it actually hurt. It really hurt. The worst part of all, is after just one day of sleep deprivation I started reaching for chocolate and sweets for a quick pick me up. (Oh yes, now I know you can relate).

How does sleep (or sleep deprivation) affect your weight loss efforts? Believe it or not, the impact is huge!

Here are just a few reasons why sleeping may be the missing link to your weight loss efforts:

1. When you're tired, it is so much harder to make healthy choices. I'm not sure if this is more about psychology or physiology or a combination of both. However, I know I have experienced it firsthand. When I get a good night's sleep, sticking to my regular exercise and healthy eating routine is a cinch. But when I'm sleep deprived, I somehow think that chocolate and sugar will make me feel better. The truth is, it never does! It actually makes me feel worse. Much worse, because the blood sugar highs and lows make me more tired and cranky than before I ate the sweets. (And a cranky Adrian is not good. Well, maybe a cranky you is worse, but who am I to say?). 

2. Now for some science. Researchers from several separate studies have found a link between sleep and the hormones that influence our eating behaviour. Two specific hormones are involved. Ghrelin is responsible for feelings of hunger. Leptin (the subject of an earlier newsletter) tells the brain when it's time to stop. When you're sleep deprived, your ghrelin levels increase at the same time that your leptin levels decrease. The result is an increased craving for food; high calorie high carbohydrate food, and not feeling full (a hormone disaster as far as staying on track with a healthy eating plan). Nothing is worse than craving food and being hungry at the same time.

3. Many people don't know this, but your body adjusts itself based on your circadian rhythms and the amount of sunlight outside. In the days before artificial light we would sleep when it was dark and get up with the sun – but now melatonin, the chemical that controls our sleep/wake response, is over-ridden by artificial light and our 24 hour lifestyle. Without getting too deep into the science, these rhythms and light tell your body to physically recover approximately between the hours of 10pm-2am and to mentally recover approximately between 2am-6am. If you aren't getting to bed until 12am, you are missing out on 2 crucial hours of physical repair. This can result in all sorts of aches and pains that do not get better, no matter what you try. I have seen clients relieve bad backs and aching joints by just getting to bed by 10pm. I have even seen people get smarter by sleeping until 6am (ok, I made this last statement up, but wouldn't that be great?). All kidding aside, I have seen people act consistently sharper when they are well rested.

4. When you are tired your sessions at the gym just aren’t as energised. Often this leads to allowing yourself to eat too much of the wrong foods afterwards in an attempt to boost your energy levels. I have seen this lead in turn to an extra trip to the gym to ‘put matters right’. Invariably this results in another de-energised session. The psychology of this is complex and different for everyone but I have seen it happen over and over again. The end result is often ‘no results’ with a huge dip in motivation to boot!

So how are you going to get a good night's sleep to ensure you are not sabotaging your weight loss efforts?

Here are a few tips for getting a good night's sleep:

1. Don't watch TV before bed. You may not realize how fired-up the news or your favourite TV programme gets you before bed time. Instead grab a book or your favourite magazine and read in bed. This works wonders, especially a good fiction book that will help you forget the day's events.

2. Cut your caffeine intake early in the day. An afternoon coffee or tea can still be racing through your blood stream at 10pm. Cut out your last caffeinated beverage by noon. This includes all coffee and teas (except herbal teas). Once you get your sleep, you won't be so dependent on your afternoon java kick.

3. Avoid sugar before bed. (You were avoiding sugar anyway right?) Consuming sugar just before bed leads to a blood sugar roller coaster ride, potentially waking you up in the middle of the night due to a blood sugar low.

5. Put your work away before bed. You do not want a racing mind before bed. Crunching numbers and reading work documents right before bed may lead to dreams about work (or nightmares). End all work at least 2 hours before bed. If this is not possible for you, you may need to reassess your work schedule a bit.

6. Make your bedroom cave-like. It is hard to escape artificial light, but even the glow of a street light or a mobile phone can affect your sleep.

7. Cull the blasted seagulls and stop those church bells ringing!...ok only a problem where I live!...but honestly; seagulls in Hereford…don’t they know there is no sea here? Not for miles! What next, being kept awake by a Hereford Bull on a yacht?

Whatever the adjustments are for you, remember, sleep may just be the missing link in your nutrition, exercise and health regimen. Stick to your Meal Plans and tuck yourself in at 10pm each night.

Night, night!

Adrian Lowther