Could your sleeping habits be causing your weight gain?
The Science
Apart from the obvious fact that being awake gives you even more hours during which you can eat, and you are also more likely to snack on ‘quick fix’ high-GI nibbles such as biscuits and cakes, there is another far less obvious cause.
Too little sleep increases the hormone Ghrelin, the appetite increaser hormone that makes you feel hungry, whilst suppressing the hormone Leptin, the fullness hormone. Therefore, despite eating enough food you still crave more.
The Verdict
Research suggests a direct link between sleep deprivation and weight gain.
Furthermore, if you attempt to diet whilst deprived of sleep, the weight loss will be mostly from lean body mass, not fat. Lack of sleep also demolishes the immune system, increasing your risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes and various other serious illnesses. It is also a major cause of depression and anxiety. So, before you think about another diet, there are many reasons to consider your sleep patterns.
The Answer
So, think about it – do you find yourself eating more when you’re tired? Maybe that extra couple of hours of sleep could be your simple answer. You could sleep yourself slim!
Hypnotherapy has also been proven to be beneficial in treating insomnia, increasing your quality of sleep and therefore controlling your weight for good.
Need a bit more help to achieve the weight-loss mindset? Annette Larner is an accredited clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, working from London’s Harley Street, as well as running regular clinics in Rickmansworth and Radlett in Hertfordshire and offers offer Skype and telephone sessions for those further afield.
Annette uses a combination of methods including clinical hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), cognitive behavioural techniques (CBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and clinical sports psychology.