Poor Sleep can Cause Weight Gain!
How can I get a good night sleep?

Sleep is crucial for many important processes in the body including healing, immunity, energy,
focus and memory. But most people might not realize that poor sleep is one of the most
common causes of weight gain.

If you do not get proper sleep on a regular basis, you may experience any or all of the following
symptoms:
  • Fatigue
  • Brain Fog
  • Weight Gain
  • Muscle Pain
  • Irritability
  • Depression/Anxiety
  • Gut Disturbances
  • Frequent Illnesses
  • Bad Skin
  • more

What is proper sleep?
In order for you to get restful sleep many things must happen.
  • First, you must get to bed at a decent time; no later than 11:00 for most people. Any
    later than that and you will likely miss your chance to release a bunch of healing growth
    hormone and all of the benefits that go along with growth hormone. Growth hormone
    helps your muscles, gut and other tissues heal on a nightly basis. Without enough growth
    hormone, you r muscle mass will decline and your metabolism will decline with it. This
    could cause you to gain weight.
  • Second, you must fall asleep in about 5-15 minutes. If it takes much longer than 15
    minutes, you are suffering from insomnia to some degree. Don't worry, there are many
    natural aids that can relieve insomnia that are much more gentle than prescription
    sleeping pills.
  • Third, you must sleep all through the night for 7-8 hours without waking. Getting up
    once to use the restroom may be ok as long as you go immediately back to sleep, but if
    you wake up more than once you are not getting proper sleep.
  • Forth, you should have mild dreams or no dreams at all throughout the night. Wild, epic
    dreams or nightmares will prevent you from achieving deep restful sleep.  
  • Fifth, when you wake up you must feel rested and be hungry within 30 minutes of
    rising. If you do not feel rested and are not hungry, it is almost guaranteed that you did
    not sleep properly.

The Sleep Cycle
Here is what happens when all five of the above steps above occur properly.  You will start off in
a light sleep (stage 1) and gradually drift into a deeper and deeper sleep until you hit stage 4
sleep. It is stage 4 sleep where your body heals itself. After you have spent a few minutes in
stage 4 sleep you will cycle into another stage called REM sleep where your eyes will
involuntarily move in order to activate your brain a bit. This is another very important stage of
sleep.  After REM, the whole sleep cycle will start over; stage 1 through 4 and back to REM
again. Each cycle can take 45-90 minutes to complete if you are sleeping properly. Typically the
cycles early in the night last longer and the cycles shorten as you approach morning.
Here are some great tips on getting better sleep.

Sleep and Hormones
Your body releases and produces a bunch of important chemicals and hormones when you
sleep, all of which are important for your health and well being. If you are sleeping properly,
growth hormone is released around 1:00AM to help you body heal from the stresses of the day.
Your gut depends on this growth hormone each night because the gut has to rebuild itself every
single day. Muscles and other tissues are also dependent on growth hormone released while
you sleep. Leptin is a chemical that tells your brain that you are full after you have eaten a
meal. If you don't sleep, you don't make leptin, and that can lead to problems with over eating,
satiety, and weight gain.

What are some Common Sleep Disorders?
There are many disorders that can prevent proper sleep. They may disrupt any or all of the
necessary steps listed above. Some of the disorders listed below are common, some are
serious and others are very rare.
  • Insomnia- the inability to fall asleep or get enough sleep
  • Restless Leg Syndrome- uncontrollable twitching or jerking of the legs
  • Snoring- I think we all know what this is
  • Sleep Apnea- when you stop breathing momentarily during sleep
  • Night Terrors- similar to nightmares but often more severe
  • Sleep paralysis- waking and being unable to move your body or limbs
  • Waking in the middle of the night- could be from low blood sugar or adrenal fatigue  

Any of these disorders can disrupt sleep and lead to a number of health problems. Sleep apnea
is one particular sleep disorder that is closely related to body composition, and it works both
ways. Not only does sleep apnea cause your metabolism to slow down resulting in excess body
fat, but weight gain can cause sleep apnea. It can be a vicious cycle once it begins.

Take our free sleep evaluation to see if you are sleeping properly.

If you have any of the above symptoms or sleep issues, it is very likely that we can help you.

Call Complete Health and Weight Loss today.
972-735-0707

If you have sleep issues but you don't live in the Dallas Fort Worth area, we can still help
you through phone consultations.