Who doesn’t love sleep? The reality is that we all crave sleep. We need it! Sleep is part of our daily needs. Just like with proper nutrition, when we don’t get enough sleep things can get a little dark. Sleep is our body’s ideal timeframe to repair and build without it. We start to see health and mental issues pop up left and right. If you want to see just how damaging sleep deprivation can be on your health go without it for one night. Studies have shown that even short-term sleep deprivation has been shown to increase your calorie intake and portions. Not to mention your mental focus and memory take a huge hit. Sleep deprivation can age your brain 3-5 years faster and increase your risk of dementia by 33%! Clearly, sleep matters. But how does your current sleep pattern or lack there of keep the pounds on?
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Well to start with our bodies use the downtime of our sleep cycles to store and build up energy. Just because you are not moving does not mean you are not active during sleep. Your body is constantly breaking things down and building them back up bigger and better. When we take away this regenerative timeframe from our bodies they look for alternative sources of energy to make up the difference. Now, this is where we start to see just how much of a role sleep plays in our weight. When we deprive ourselves of sleep our bodies are unable to create extra energy. As a by product we crave high calorie foods especially sweets, oily, and fatty foods. Unfortunately, these foods are not high in nutrients so our bodies constantly tell us to eat even more food. Thus, creating an endless cycle of overeating while still being under nutrient.
Break Free Of The Cycle
So, how do we break the cycle? At the end of the day the answer seems simple enough, get more sleep. But what about the individuals who struggle to fall and stay asleep. For some of us sleep is a luxury that we rarely get to enjoy. What about new parents who are desperately striving to get at least two hours a night? Don’t worry, there are options. Because sleep is so critical for our health and well being there have been countless studies on how to improve the quality and quantity of our sleep. You don’t need to read through the millions of options. I am going to break down some of the best and most effective ways to improve your sleep and keep those pesky pounds off.
Signs You Need To Act Now!
For starters, know what to look out for! Your body will throw up warning signs that your body is suffering from sleep loss. The following is a list of some of the more common signs and symptoms that can pop up due to sleep deprivation. However, if left unattended it can snowball into even more health related issues. Make sure you are paying close attention to what your body is actively telling you to reduce the risk of any further damage.
Brain Fog
Moodiness
Lack of Concentration
Weight Gain
Insomnia
Wrinkles
Easily Irritated
Cravings (Sweet is most common)
Lackluster Skin and Hair
Headaches
Memory Loss
Digestive Issues
Skin Issues
Weak Nails
Hair Loss
Low Libido
Infertility
Food Sensitivities
It All Comes Together
This list, while it may seem extensive, is just the tip of the iceberg. As I mentioned before, sleep is critical for our bodies. When we fail to meet our bodies basic needs we create a whole that our bodies will scramble to fill. Unfortunately, these quick fixes only end up doing even more damage throughout our bodies. I want you to think of it as you were to go into a home depot having put in a customized order for doors. It’s just before winter and you need your doors to help keep out the cold. You call a head to check the order and remove the doors once you hear they are in. Just in time for trash pick up everything is going your way.
Something Is Missing
That is until you get there and find the order is wrong and the doors wont fit. It will take another 3-4 weeks for your doors to come in and there is a big snowstorm schedule for the weekend. Now you have nothing to keep the harsh elements out and you are scrambling to find anything that can act as a temporary bandage on your current dilemma. You quickly run through the aisles grabbing at any doors that can at least fit the current whole. Once you place your temporary fix you sit and wait for you first order to come in. But nothing has changed, you still NEED your doors right? That is the same way your body feels when you take away the basic building materials that it needs to help it function. Just like your custom doors, your body has put in a customized request too. The longer you take to fill the order the more backlogged things become.
Cascading Effect
Most people don’t realize that our bodies are playing a constant game of dominos. I don’t mean the actual game, but more of the standing up to watch them fall in a set order and pattern game. Almost every part of the human body is activated by a series (this is key) of triggers. When one of these triggers fails to go off it prevents the next one from activating, and so forth. Getting these pieces to fall back into place can be tricky. Most people try to approach it by resetting one piece at a time. But the best way to get things back on track is to wipe the board clean and start to rebuild. When we deprive our bodies of sleep we are effectively removing a number of internal triggers and setting off a whole other set.
Clear The Board
In order to get things back in optimal function we need to detox and remove all the players from the board. Now, you don’t want to go out and grab just anything. There are a LOT of options out there and you want to choose something that is going to be safe and gentle on your body. After all, it wasn’t the one that suggested the all nighter, you were. Once you have cleared the board you will need to provide your body with the proper building materials to ensure it can recreate the same or proper pattern. The best way to do this is with the proper nutrition. You will want to make sure you are getting probiotics and prebiotics. Not all of them are built the same so make sure you are picking a set that contains multiple strains of good bacteria and in high amounts.
Keep It Up
Now that the board has been cleared and prepped the last step is to ensure you don’t pull a domino early. How do you do this? Easy, by continuing to feed your body with the building materials it needs to function at optimal efficiency. It really helps to find a system that works best for you and to stick with it. I know it may be difficult at first but that is only because it may not be familiar to you right now. However, everything that we did was new to us at some point. Even breathing, and we clearly have mastered that. This too will become just a normal part of your daily routine. I tell my clients that if they can stick with it for 30 days they are going to see and feel a difference. If they stick with it for 3 months they have just created a lifelong habit that is guaranteed to increase their longevity.
Ready To Reboot Your System?
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