Sleep, Weight Loss and the Hormone Leptin

Research has shown that leptin, a hormone which regulates appetite, can be affected by lack of sleep. When levels of leptin are high, they trigger a feeling of fullness; Once leptin decreases, you start to feel hungry again. Experts suggest that the lower hormone levels of leptin can be caused by sleep deprivation leading to overeating, which can then put on weight.

Though the amount of sleep may be different among us, but most adults seem to do best when they get between 7-8 hours a night.

Missing sleep occasionally usually is not the problem. Consistently having sleep deprivation may be harmful to your health. Increasing your nighttime rest may have a positive effect on your weight and weight loss efforts. If you have better control of the hormone, leptin, you may also be able to control your appetite. This can avoid unwanted snacking at night that can lead to weight gain.
Here are some great sleep tips to help you control your weight:

Try to avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol in the evening. Though probably no caffeine should be taken after 2-3PM in afternoon. Nicotine and alcohol is not something I can talk about because I really don’t know the time frame.

Exercise regularly, but probably not 2-3 hours before you sleep. Though exercising can drain you physically, mentally you could be wide awake.

Routines help us deal with our daily life. Try and sleep the same time every night.

Your bed should be associated with sleeping. Read and do whatever you want before you get into bed.

If turning on music to get to sleep works, then do it. Leaving the TV on or watching TV can keep you awake. If you need a night light, then use.

Remember, sleep can help you stay awake, being happier during the day and burn your fat at night

Ditch the Diet Soda

Why should you ditch the Diet Soda? Here’s why: Recent research is showing that artificial sweeteners in soda may interfere with your body’s ability to estimate how many calories you’ve ingested. This is turn make you eat more than you need.

In a new rat study, animals that ate artificial sugar consumed more calories overall and thus gained weight. Compare that to those animals that didn’t eat artificially sweetened treats and didn’t gain as much weight as the rats fed with artificial sugar.

This is just one study. I bet you are thinking that’s not enough for me to kick the habit. Need more convincing? For every diet soda you sip daily, your risk of becoming overweight can rise by 37%, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

We also know that regular soda is a total sugar explosion — I know people who gave it up years ago. Did you know there is roughly 225 calories a soda pop. A 20-ounce bottle of regular soda nearly has as many calories as a chocolate bar. Which would you rather have?

We all know that soda also contains zero nutrients. So who needs it? Still have some soda around? Next time you have guests around who have decided not to quit yet, give it to them. You warned them. Next time you want a fizz hit, try seltzer with lemon and/or lime.