How is sleep affecting my health (BSL)

How is sleep affecting my health? Hello, I'm Sonia Hollis a qualified Nutritional therapist and nutrition consultant. Today’s video I wanted to talk about sleep - and how lack of sleep may be sabotaging your health. So I’ll explain briefly why it matters so much and what things you can do about it. Sleep and weight are intimately related. If you are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, you are setting yourself up to be hungrier, eat more, weigh more, and have a harder time losing weight. It’s not all in your head. Many of us may be sleep deprived, we are all busy, have stresses in our lives and this can impact on our sleep patterns. Research has shown that if you are consistently surviving on too little sleep (that’s less than 7 ½ hours of good sleep per night), you’re not going to be functioning at your best, focusing properly or thinking creatively. This then can sabotage any attempts to take control of healthy eating and your weight. Sleep deprivation causes hormone imbalance, and I’m not talking about PMT, but the hormones that directly affect your feelings of hunger. Ghrelin (the hunger hormone that makes you feel more hungry) and leptin (the satiety hormone that tells you when you’ve had enough to eat) are majorly disrupted when you are not sleeping enough. So, after a night of lousy sleep, if you feel like you need to go raiding the cupboards - it’s not all in your head but rather in your hormones. But when you raid these cupboards you’re more likely to go for the high-carb, starchy foods and not the lovely healthy ones you might otherwise choose. Lack of sleep also messes with stress hormones, and stress messes with your sleep. It’s a vicious circle and is one really good reason why it is so important to take the time to unwind before going to bed. Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones. It should follow a specific pattern throughout the day, starting off low (after all, you will have just got up from a ‘restful sleep’), rising to a peak in the morning and gradually tailing off towards evening time. Prolonged periods of stress can create an imbalance in this daily rhythm that may lead to cortisol levels being high come night-time. Typically, this would leave you feeling tired but wired – absolutely exhausted, but your head is buzzing when you hit the pillow. The stress placed on the body by lack of sleep also upsets your body’s sensitivity to insulin (the fat-storage hormone), which contributes to weight gain. The more starchy carbs you eat, the more glucose is in your blood and the higher the amount of insulin that your body needs to restore blood sugar balance. If your diet is high in starchy carbs like bread, rice, pasta and sugars, you make more insulin, which creates blood sugar fluctuations at night, and these cause sleep disturbances. A sugar ‘crash’ at night triggers a release of cortisol to wake you up at the wrong time, and this can shift you out of deep sleep into a lighter sleep phase. Moving to a way of eating that balances your blood sugar helps significantly improve the quality of your sleep. TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP **DO** Try to go to bed at the same time every day. Keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortable; not too hot, nor too cold. Keep the bedroom completely dark, so you’re not disturbed by light. Spend time outdoors to soak up the sun. Try to take some gentle exercise every day. There is evidence that regular exercise improves restful sleep. Make an effort to relax for at least 5 minutes before going to bed - a warm bath, massage, meditation. Keep your feet and hands warm. Consider getting a traditional alarm clock so your smartphone can stay out of the bedroom (see below). Better still, work out how much sleep you need by going to bed 15 minutes earlier until you find that you wake up naturally before your alarm. That’s your personal sleep requirement. **DON’T** Engage in stimulating activities – like playing a competitive game, watching an edge-of-the-seat film, or having an important conversation with a loved one. Even using smartphones and tablets can interfere with sleep, because they emit the same kind of light as the morning sun. Eat a heavy meal within four hours of going to bed. Drink caffeine in the afternoon – including coffee, ‘normal’ and green tea, and colas. Use alcohol to help you sleep. Alcohol can make sleep more disturbed. Go to bed too hungry. Have a snack before bed – a glass of milk or banana are ideal. Try to avoid daytime naps. Try not to get frustrated if you can’t sleep. Go to bed in a positive mood – “I will sleep tonight”. Now I’m sure you’ve seen these tips before, but just knowing the information is not going to give you the restful night’s sleep you are looking for. You do actually need to take action! To find out more about working 1:1 please visit our website www.personalised-nutritional-therapy.co.uk Take care Sonia

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