Sleepless in Dietland

Sleep is very important to losing weight!

The Big 3 in Dieting:

1. Eat right (we'll get into that)
2. Exercise (YES we know!)
3. Get a good night's sleep

There have been a couple of studies that show a link
between sleep and the hormones that affect weight loss.

The two hormones Ghrelin and Leptin have been identified
as those that have an impact on our eating behavior.

Ghrelin affects our feeling of being hungry. Leptin
has the important job of telling us when to stop eating.

Being sleep deprived results in an increase in both
hormones that leaves us feeling hungry and never
feeling full. Sounds like a recipe for disaster!

I have been plagued with insomnia for years. Both
the problem of "falling to sleep" and "staying asleep".
I've also had sleep apnea for a long time, but the
weight gain has made that worse.

Last night I completed a sleep study for the apnea
where I was fitted with a mask for a CPAP machine
(Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) I wore one
of these at the sleep lab last night. At first it
seemed very uncomfortable and I thought "no way",
but I slept better last night than I have in years!
I'm hoping that my own CPAP gets here soon so
I can start getting more rest.

Now if I could just find a way to lose weight
in my sleep. Dream on!