Stress and the demands of everyday living have us all struggling to stay on track. We skip our workouts, sleep less, grab food on the run, all to keep up with the hectic pace of living.

With so much going on, cutting back from seven or eight hours of sleep might seem like the answer. You may say if you only sleep six hours, that gives you two more hours to be productive, right?

Well, not really.

First off, your brain is TIRED when you don’t sleep. You‘re operating in a fog, and making the best decisions is pretty much impossible. When you stop by the break room, nine times out of ten, you will grab the donut to go with your coffee because you’re so beat you THINK you need the one-two punch of sugar and caffeine to get you going. Your brain’s reward centers are revved up from lack of sleep, and your food cravings are in overdrive.

Studies consistently show us that when our bodies don’t get enough sleep, we opt for quick-fix, high-carb snacks to keep going. One study even showed that participants who slept less than eight hours chose snacks with twice the fat content of their well-rested counterparts.

Second, crappy choices, bigger portions, and no impulse control in the kitchen are bound to produce weight gain. In addition to changing how your brain functions, sleep deprivation has a powerful effect on hormone production. Hormones plus dieting generally equal disaster. Cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin are the three hormones most commonly connected to weight control.

Cortisol

Cortisol is your stress hormone, and it suppresses your metabolism. Your adrenal glands produce it, and if you aren’t well-rested, your stress will skyrocket. Cortisol tells your body to save its energy, which means it’s going to hang on to fat. There is a debate on whether cortisol directly affects weight loss, but for anyone with emotional eating habits, higher cortisol levels are a recipe for disaster. Stress makes us seek comfort, and for many of us, food is a go-to for feeling better.

Leptin

Leptin is a hormone produced in your fat cells. It tells your body when to stop eating and to burn more calories. When you are tired, your body produces less leptin, so your appetite is out of control, and your metabolism tanks. Not recognizing our body’s hunger signals is difficult enough without the added magic of hormones confusing our wants and needs.

Grehlin

Grehlin is a hormone released by your stomach that makes you hungrier, slows down your metabolism, and decreases your body’s ability to burn fat. When you are sleep-deprived, your body produces more ghrelin. That means you are tired, want to eat a whole lot of garbage, and aren’t programmed to burn it off.

Insulin

Insulin is the hormone your body uses to convert food, particularly sugar and starch, into energy. Four days of poor sleeping can be enough to hamper your body’s ability to process insulin. This means your body can’t process the fats in your bloodstream, so it just stores them as fat.

Research proves that dieters who cut back on sleep over two weeks dramatically reduced the amount of weight they lost from fat even when their eating patterns and intake didn’t change. Lack of sleep killed their metabolism, and that equaled weight gain. If you aren’t sleeping enough, you are disrupting your metabolism, which will make you gain weight or have trouble losing weight.

Set yourself up for success with proper sleep hygiene. That’s how you’re going to win at weight loss. If you need help with your sleep hygiene, I can help. Check out one of my upcoming sleep workshops or schedule a call with me so that we can discuss your concerns and set a plan in place to get you sleeping better.

How often do you hear people bragging about pulling all-nighters or saying things like, “I only need 5 hours of sleep a night,” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”?

Here’s a fact, your body needs sleep. Did you know that driving while sleep-deprived can be just as bad as driving while intoxicated?

There are so many benefits to sleep, but I’m just going to give you five of them.

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months and back again in the fall to make better use of natural daylight.

Moving the clock forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall doesn’t just affect your schedule — it can throw off your body’s internal clock, too.

That hour of sleep that’s lost or gained can leave you feeling groggy and irritable. It can also be dangerous. Studies have found that heart attacks and fatal car accidents increase after the spring shift to Daylight Saving Time.

Why is the change of one hour so hard?

Moving our clocks in either direction affects how daylight resets our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. Our internal clock, or circadian rhythm, becomes out of sync with our current day-night cycle.

In the fall, when you’ve gained an hour of sleep, you might not feel tired, but you may notice to change when you’re waiting an extra hour to eat or to leave work at the end of the day. When the clocks move forward in the spring, you’ll “lose” an hour of sleep and may have trouble falling asleep an hour earlier. In turn, you won’t get as much quality sleep as you need.

How long will it take you to adapt to time changes?

The rule of thumb is that it takes about one day to adjust for each hour of a time change. However, there are a few things you can do to prepare for the shift.

Tips for Adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

Make Gradual Shifts

About a week before falling back, go to bed and wake up approximately 15 minutes later each day.

Reverse for the spring and go to bed and wake up approximately 15 minutes earlier each day.

If you need more time to adjust, start earlier and gradually increase/decrease 15-minute increments every few days.

Keep your schedule

Stick to your schedule. Be consistent with eating, social activities, and exercise times during the transition. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on the weekends.

No long naps

Avoiding naps is critical for adjusting to the time change. Long naps will make it harder for you to get a quality night’s sleep. If you can’t get through the day without a nap, make it short and earlier in the day to avoid disrupting your nighttime routine.

If you feel sleepy the Sunday after the time change, take a short 15- to 20- minute nap in the early afternoon but not too close to bedtime.

Use light to regulate your internal clock.

Light suppresses the production of melatonin, our sleep hormone. It’s important to expose yourself to light as soon as you wake up and as much as possible during waking hours. Conversely, do not expose yourself to bright light when it is dark outside.

Did you know that adults who sleep fewer than 6 hours a night are at higher risk for dementia and cognitive decline?

Here's why:

Our brains accumulate various kinds of metabolic "gunk" throughout the day. The worst is beta-amyloid proteins. These are metabolic waste products that build up as plaque around neurons and interfere with how they transmit information to each other. It's thought that a greater beta-amyloid "burden" in the brain is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

The good news is that deep and REM sleep flushes out the waste particles. We get most of our deep sleep in the first half of the night, so even if your sleep is cut short, the brain will still clear some of the waste.

When you are sleep-deprived, your first full night of sleep will include more deep and REM sleep.

This explains why getting too little sleep may be linked with Alzheimer's.

Things to consider:

1. Aging changes your body clock. As we age, we typically go to bed and wake up earlier, and spend more time awake during the night, resulting in less sleep overall

2. Physical changes can disrupt sleep. For example, prostate issues will have men wake during the night to pee

3. A suboptimal diet may cause poor sleep. Too many calories, fats, and sweets and too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can lead to weight gain and obesity, which can cause sleep apnea. In turn, poor quality sleep can lead to hormonal changes linked to appetite and satiety, cause you to eat more with less inhibition

If you would like to learn more about sleep, I’m launching my new sleep course in November. Click below to get on the waitlist and receive 30% off the introductory price when registration opens. If you want more information please DM me and I’d be happy to chat with you.

If you’ve watched any of my workshops, you’ll know I’m a geek when it comes to sleep. I love understanding the science behind sleep and why it’s essential to our overall health. I wear a health tracker mainly to track my sleep at night. I know health trackers aren’t very precise at monitoring sleep patterns, but it’s better than nothing, and I can at least track how consistent I am over time. As I get older, I’ve found that my sleep patterns seem to change more frequently than I like. Lately, I’ve noticed that I’m not getting as much deep sleep as I used to.

Deep sleep is critical for restoration, allowing for bodily recovery and growth. It plays a key role in keeping our hormones balanced, and experts believe it may bolster our immune system and other key bodily processes. There is also evidence that deep sleep contributes to insightful thinking, creativity, and memory processing.

How can you increase the amount of deep sleep you get each night? The most important thing you can do is increase the total amount of sleep you get each night. Doing so allows the body to go through more sleep cycles, making it possible to obtain more deep sleep. Other activities you can try include:

• Exercise early in the day

• Lower carbohydrate intake and increase fat intake

• Warm your body in the bath or shower before bed

• Keep a regular sleep cycle, even on the weekend

Sleep issues are common for women our age, but we have options! If you have trouble sleeping, reach out to me. I’ve had my share of sleepless nights and have learned what works (and doesn’t work) for me. Getting a good night’s rest is vital for our overall health, and no one should suffer through a sleepless night.

Did you know that hormones can wreak havoc on our sleep patterns?

As we age, changes in our sleep-wake cycle cause us to feel tired earlier and wake up earlier in the morning, leading to less sleep overall. In addition, sleep issues are common in women going through perimenopause or menopause.

The most common sleep problems reported by women going through menopause include:

Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are sudden and unexpected sensations of heat all over the body accompanied by sweating. They can last as short as 30 seconds or as long as five minutes. Hot flashes that occur at night are also known as night sweats.

Insomnia

Insomnia is typically described as a chronic difficulty falling or staying asleep that occurs more than three nights a week. Some may experience restless sleep, wake up early, and often feel sleepy and tired during the day. Sleep deprivation from insomnia can increase feelings of anxiousness and irritability, impair focus and memory, and increase headaches and inflammation.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known as temporary pauses in breathing, leading to gasping, snoring, choking sounds, and lowered sleep quality. Research suggests lower progesterone levels may contribute to the development of sleep apnea.

If you are experiencing sleep issues related to perimenopause or menopause, consult your doctor. They know your personal medical history and can recommend appropriate medications and lifestyle changes that may improve your sleep.

The following sleep tips may also help:

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Avoid nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol, especially in the late afternoon/early evening

• Avoid drinking liquids a few hours before bedtime

• Reduce stress as much as possible

• Develop a bedtime routine

• Develop a routine for falling back asleep if you tend to wake during the night

• Keep the temperature in your room cool

• Follow a regular sleep/wake schedule and avoid late afternoon naps

Sleep issues are common for women our age, but we have options! If you have trouble sleeping, reach out to me. I’ve had my share of sleepless nights and have learned what works (and doesn’t work) for me. Getting a good night’s rest is vital for our overall health, and no one should suffer through a sleepless night.

As we get older, we tire more easily.  We lose mitochondria (energy engines in the cells) and produce less ATP (the energy molecule).  Medication, depression, chronic diseases, and lifestyle choices can also hinder our energy.  Here are a few activities that zap you of energy.

Inactivity

We tend to start losing muscle mass more quickly after the age of 35. Having less muscle means fewer mitochondria and less ATP.  Inactivity compounds the problem by weakening and shrinking muscles and causing them to use energy inefficiently.

Whatever movement you can do will help strengthen muscles.  Take a walk, take stairs instead of the elevator, or park farther away in the parking lot.

Stress

Stress can increase cortisol levels.  Cortisol reduces ATP and increases inflammation (which also reduces ATP).  Reduce stress by doing yoga, meditation, or deep-breathing exercises.

A Poor Diet

Your body needs vitamins and minerals to produce enough ATP.  Eating processed food can increase inflammation, reducing ATP.  If you’re not eating enough, you’re not giving your body what it needs to function.  If you’re eating too much at once, you may spike your blood sugar levels, which leads to fatigue.

Eat whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins like fish, chicken, nuts, and seeds. The fatty acids in protein-rich foods also help boost ATP. And aim for smaller meals with snacks in between to provide your body with a steady supply of nutrients and fewer blood sugar spikes.

Too Little Sleep

A lack of sleep increases cortisol and also promotes inflammation. If sleep issues are caused by sleep apnea, the dips in blood oxygen levels lower ATP and energy.

Check out my blog article for tips on improving sleep hygiene.

Poor Fluid Choices

Drinking sugary sodas can cause blood sugar spikes followed by a drop that causes fatigue. Being dehydrated can also make you feel tired, as can drinking too much alcohol or caffeinated drinks near bedtime (alcohol interrupts sleep in the middle of the night). Healthy people need six to eight cups of fluid per day, and more if they're exercising. Avoid soda and stop drinking caffeine or alcohol within six to eight hours of bed.

Social isolation

Being isolated — not seeing others on a regular basis — is associated with depression, and depression is linked to fatigue. Resolve to get together with others at least once per week. It can be friends, family, neighbors, or even new acquaintances.

Have you heard people brag about pulling all-nighters? They’ll say things like “I only need five hours of sleep a night” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead?” Well, I’m here to tell you that your body needs sleep! Did you know that driving while sleep-deprived can be just as bad as driving while intoxicated?

There are so many benefits to sleep, but I’m just going to give you five of them for now.

You Will Look Better

Isn’t that enough of a reason to get 7-9 hours of sleep, on average? Who wants to walk around with big puffy circles under their eyes every day?

Sleep has a Major Impact on Weight Loss and Maintenance

There are two regulatory hormones in our bodies that sleep deprivation impacts, Ghrelin and Leptin. Ghrelin tells your body when to eat. If you don’t get enough sleep, this hormone increases. Leptin tells you when to stop eating. If you don’t get enough sleep, leptin levels decrease.

So imagine that you’re running on 3 hours of sleep, you’ve got ghrelin telling you it’s time to eat all day, and leptin is slacking off, so you’re eating way too much. If you consistently don’t get enough sleep every night, this habit will start to show in your waistline and on the scale!

Getting enough sleep will help you eat the right amount of food. And, eating the right types and amounts of food can also help you sleep better at night.

You Will Think More Clearly

When you’re tired, your brain will not function as it should. If you’re not a morning person and you force yourself to take morning classes, I’m sure you will feel it. If you’re tired in the afternoon, and you’re trying to think, your brain won’t work as well.

You’re More Pleasant to Be Around

Quite frankly, you’re much more pleasant to be around when you’re well-rested. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re just going to be tired and irritable.

Life Sucks When You’re Tired

I don’t know how else to say it. There will be days when you’re more tired than usual, but you don’t want “tired” to be your average running pace through life.

If you are having trouble sleeping, here are five tips to help you sleep better tonight:

1. Meditate or perform deep-breathing exercises before bed. It will clear your head and calm down your whole system.

2. Stop drinking caffeine after Noon. Caffeine blocks your “sleep receptors,” and keeps your brain whirling all night long, so kick that afternoon coffee habit to sleep peacefully.

3. Do not watch TV in bed. Sleep experts say that it’s hard to get to sleep if your television is flashing lights in your face just before bedtime, especially if you’re watching violent or intense programs.

4. Sleep at temperatures between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts say that this is the best temperature range to get the deepest sleep.

5. Buy the best bed you can afford. A good mattress makes all the difference!

If you want to learn more and kickstart your sleep habits, join my free 5-day Sleep Better Challenge. The challenge begins on June 14, 2021. You can learn more at https://www.ntlrx.com/5day-sleep-better-challenge.

20 Tips for a Better Sleep