Sleep and Cravings

What is the Deal with Leptin Resistance?

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance happens when our cells no longer respond appropriately to insulin. What ends up happening is that insulin becomes ineffective and more and more is needed for cells to store glucose and reduce blood sugar levels. The pancreas starts producing increased levels of insulin to compensate for this in order to keep glucose levels under control. This results in increased insulin in circulation, as well as increased blood sugar levels.

Has This Happened to You?

Imagine this scenario: You have a major work project due in two days, your nanny calls out sick, and your spouse is traveling. What do you do? Well, you have to work into the night for two days straight and wind up sacrificing sleep in order to do that. In these couple days, you begin to realize that you’re hungrier than usual and start having cravings for sweet and salty processed foods – like chips, cookies, pretzels. Does this sound like something that has ever happened to you? Well, if it has, you are certainly not alone.

When we get adequate, restful, restorative sleep (7-9 hours a night), our hormones stay regulated and in homeostasis. Our bodies love homeostasis and predictability, and things will run so much more smoothly when our routines remain consistent. Obviously, getting adequate sleep is easier said than done, but all we can do is our best. One thing that is in our control is perfecting our sleep hygiene routine.

Tips to Support Sleep Hygiene:

1. Have a consistent bedtime and wake time: Again, the body LOVES predictability. When we go to sleep at the same time each night, our bodies know to pump out melatonin. When we wake up at the same time each day, our bodies know it’s time to create a robust cortisol awakening response (CAR) so that we feel energized for the day. The CAR is the biggest boost that we have in cortisol production and should happen within a couple hours after waking. A healthy CAR helps us to maintain healthy energy levels throughout the entire day and is important to our overall well-being.
2. Minimize electronic use two hours before bed: Try to put your cell phone away and minimize screen time, but if it is absolutely necessary, make sure to use blue light protective glasses. Not only does the bluelight from perusing social media, working late at night on the computer, and watching tv suppress melatonin, but it can also make us feel agitated and restless.
3. Try reducing your caffeine intake throughout the day, but especially after 10AM. If you do have caffeine in the morning, try a green tea which naturally has l-theanine and can reduce stress and anxiety. If you find that you don’t need the caffeine, but just want a satisfying beverage in the morning, a well-balanced smoothie might be perfect.
4. Eat a nutrient-dense (link to first article) dinner by 7PM every night. Do you find that making dinner stresses you out so you wind up eating late (which throws off your hormones) or you order in too often? Let us help keep your hormones balanced by cooking you healthy, nutrient dense meals with all the building blocks your body requires to balance hormones and get quality sleep!
5. Avoid intense exercise in the evening: High intensity exercise in the evening increases cortisol levels and can impact sleep quality and our ability to fall asleep.
6. Get light exposure in the morning and try not to linger in bed: Light exposure, like getting a day lamp, opening a blind, or better yet stepping outside into the sunshine will help with the cortisol awakening response discussed previously. When we linger in bed, we confuse our brains and bodies.
7. Have breakfast within an hour of waking and eat meals at consistent times: This will help with blood sugar balance and mood and will keep cravings at bay.
8. Try a cup of chamomile tea in the evening which can have nervonic and calming properties, or even a small glass of tart cherry juice which is a natural source of melatonin.
In addition to preventing cravings, good quality sleep is essential for so many other functions in the body, including supporting a healthy immune system, protecting reproductive function, ensuring proper cognitive function, supporting detoxification and digestion. Our digestive tracts actually have a circadian rhythm, and a disruption in our rest impacts gut motility.

The Daily Dose Way to Curb Cravings:

Obviously, you get it by now – sleep is important for so many functions. Some of us feel guilty for sleeping well – like we shouldn’t have that luxury and if we are sleeping well than it means we aren’t working enough. Some of us feel like getting a good night’s sleep isnt important and something unnecessary to prioritize as much as working out or eating well and both of these could not be more untrue. Sleep is absolutely a necessity and a huge pillar of true health and disease prevention. There is a reason why sleep deprivation is a form of torture. So please, don’t sacrifice your sleep if it is in your control.

If you feel like good quality sleep isn’t happening for you and you can’t figure out why? I would highly recommend you check out our ReBoot. In addition to eating foods supportive in the key micronutrients and macronutrients to support quality sleep, this challenge includes guidance on movement and meditation, both foundational to sleep quality. We are so excited to embark on this journey with you!