How are you sleeping these days?
Not the question you were expecting? After all, I’m not a therapist. So why am I asking? Did you know that your sleeping patterns have a significant impact on your ability to lose weight?
If you’re struggling to lose weight following bariatric surgery and your sleeping habits aren’t the best, you may want to pay attention. Proper rest is essential to your body following bariatric surgery; in more ways than one.
How lack of sleep affects you: According to Healthline, reduced sleep duration has a direct correlation to gaining weight and obesity. They reference a peer-reviewed study that says, “sleep is an important modulator of neuroendocrine function and glucose metabolism and sleep loss has been shown to result in metabolic and endocrine alterations, including decreased glucose tolerance and alteration of appetite regulating hormone.” Essentially this means that the body struggles to manage glucose levels and hormone levels that are essential to weight loss and appetite regulation if you fail to get enough sleep.
Hormone regulation: As we’ve discussed in other blogs, ghrelin and leptin are the hormones directly related to appetite regularity. Under conditions where your body doesn’t get enough sleep, ghrelin, a hormone that causes you to feel hungry, is produced at higher levels than leptin and causes an increased appetite. Because of this, those who sleep less also tend to take in more calories by eating more due to increased hunger.
Lack of sleep dulls your brain: According to a University of California, Irvine study, when you fail to get adequate sleep you could be damaging the frontal lobe of your brain that is key decision making and self-control. Those who consistently lack sleep dull the frontal lobe, making it more difficult to resist urges to eat unhealthy foods and prevent cravings.
Lack of energy: It’s not secret that a lack of sleep can lead to less energy throughout the day. If you feel fatigued often, the odds of getting in regular exercise will likely be less due to lack of motivation and fatigue. Regular exercise is a key factor in weight loss following bariatric surgery and chronic fatigue is not a friend of good habits.
Remember that a quality multivitamin is absolutely essential to maintaining your health post bariatric surgery. Vitamins help replenish the nutrients your body struggles to absorb post surgery. Vita4life Multivitamins provide many key vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Make Vita4life Multivitamins apart of your health regimen today!