Sleep Could Be Your Most Effective Weight-Loss Aid

Are you putting on unwanted weight or having trouble losing weight in spite of your best efforts? If you’re not getting at least seven hours of sleep each night, your hunger hormones may be out of balance. You need adequate sleep to regulate your hormones and keep hunger under control. If your leptin levels fall and your ghrelin and cortisol levels surge, your appetite will increase and the food you eat won’t satisfy you. Plus, out-of-balance hormones may interfere with getting restful sleep, which perpetuates the problem. Of course, with an increase in appetite, weight gain is likely to follow, increasing the risk for insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart disease. But getting adequate sleep is not always easy—over 70% of menstruating women have estrogen and progesterone imbalances that affect sleep. To address your weight issues and guard your health, you need a two-fold focus: improving sleep and rebalancing your hormones. Read more…