Sleep is your body’s best friend if you want to stay slim.

Sleep deprivation leads to impairment in cognitive functioning, whether it be decision-making, memory recall, or much slower reflexive actions.

A lack of sleep also has a bad effect on certain hormones which control certain aspects of hunger and eating. When these hormones go out of kilter, it often results in unexpected weight gain. Leptin and ghrelin are the 2 hormones which play major roles in regulating appetite, and consequently influences body weight and fat.

Leptin is made in the fat cells, and the more leptin you have, the less hungry you feel. Optimal levels of leptin therefore decreases hunger.

Ghrelin is secreted in the lining of the stomach when you need to eat, and the more ghrelin you have in the stomach, the more hungry you will be.

How do leptin and ghrelin actually work?

Research has shown that sleeplessness is associated with lower levels of leptin, and increased ghrelin levels, the combination of which leads to weight gain and increased body fat.

·      Leptin, also often referred to as the “obesity hormone” helps to regulate your appetite, metabolism, promotes feelings of having had enough to eat, and initiates the burning of calories.

When you are sleeping well, leptin levels increase, sending a message to your brain that you have enough energy, and cuts out any further signals for hunger. A lack of sleep decreases leptin and slows down metabolism making you feel constantly hungry, even though you do not need to eat. This results in eating, often junk foods and sugary items, which packs on the weight.

·      A chronic lack of sleep can cause levels of ghrelin – also known as your “hunger hormone” to go through the roof, also making you feel hungry when do not need to eat, by stimulating the appetite. Studies have indicated that ghrelin appears to act on the brain’s pleasure centres, making you yearn for comfort foods like cakes and chocolates.

A consistent, chronic lack of sleep leads to an imbalance of these hormones which regulate eating and appetite control. On a daily basis, sleeplessness can cause you to have a voracious appetite, as mixed signals are sent to the brain, leading to vicious cycle of overeating.

How stress can add to weight gain.

·      Both ghrelin and leptin are negatively affected by stressful situations, and as insomnia, as well as chronic sleeplessness, leads to a constant cycle of stress, which results in ongoing hunger pangs that beg to be relieved.  

·      There is another facet to the way stress can add to weight gain. The less you sleep, you more your body goes into stress and anxiety mode, resulting in a release of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid hormone, and an oversupply can make you hungry – adding to the desire to keep eating.

If you are a poor sleeper, and just cannot seem to lose weight, stress could well be the reason. Poor sleep might just be a bad habit, which can be broken.

Comprehensive research by sleep specialists has proved that hypnotherapy is one of the best ways to deal with poor sleep patterns.

How hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, can help you.

·      Extensive studies have revealed that by accessing the subconscious mind, hypnotherapy focusses on getting to the root of the sleep problem, and then instituting a change in a mindset of harmful or negative patterns of behaviour.

·      Hypnotherapy for sleep disorders will help to reveal the actual underlying cause of the problem, which may include previous unresolved trauma issues, as well as ingrained stress and anxiety hassles.

·      Hypnotherapy, by making positive suggestions to the subconscious mind when you are in a relaxed state, will help to alter the way you react to stressful situations, which may be causing you to lose sleep.

·      You will also learn how to calm your imagination when it threatens to go off on a wild worry trip. Worry is no more than a thief that will rob you of your sleep at night, and make you more anxious.

There is substantial documented proof that hypnosis is extremely beneficial to restore your sleep cycle, and renew your life.

For the most successful outcome, a competent therapist will tailor a unique treatment plan to suit your own particular circumstances.