Sleep Loss and Weight Gain: How to Get a Good Sleep for Overall Good Health

Obesity, weight gain, diabetes, and many other lifestyle-related illnesses are some of the most common health problems in the United States today. While there are different treatments and precautionary measures to get rid of these ailments, very few people are aware that these health problems can be easily fixed with simple lifestyle changes.

Let’s take a look why loss of sleep causes weight gain.

1. Leptin is a type of protein that controls and regulates appetite. Lack of sleep is one of the reasons for low leptin that triggers your appetite and you tend to eat more than you really need. Increased appetite results in higher food intake and you begin to gain weight.
2. As you begin to gain weight, your energy level decreases and you begin to avoid physical activities. This results in more weight gain. In fact, the more weight you gain, the more you tend to develop sleep disorders.

How to sleep soundly

Lack of sleep also causes many psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Here are some simple and straightforward tips to help you sleep soundly.

1. Physical activities play an important role in helping you sleep better. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, you should make sure to dedicate 30 minutes every day to some physical activity that will get your heart pumping as efficiently as possible. You can run, climb stairs very fast, try to jump, etc. You can even try joining aerobics classes.
2. Yoga and Meditation: Although it requires expert supervision, you can try some simple breathing exercises like deep breathing without expert guidance.
3. Stretching exercise: it is very easy and can be done just before going to sleep. Toe tension is a very simple exercise that helps the whole body to relax easily. Lie on your back and point your toes toward your face. Straighten your toes as much as possible and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise up to 10 times each night and see the difference.
4. Do not drink tea or coffee before bed – Make sure you do not consume tea, coffee, or any other stimulant within 2 hours of bedtime.

Hot bath: Taking a warm bath before bed is also very helpful in inducing a deep sleep. Your body temperature rises during the bath and cools down when you get out of the bathtub. The change in body temperature at bedtime soothes the muscles and brain that trigger deep sleep.