I remember when menopause hit. It was a double whammy for me.
Not only was I having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night, but my weight redistributed itself – virtually overnight.
Every time I checked the scale – and I did become a little obsessed with it – the needle kept creeping up.
The most frustrating part: I hadn’t changed anything I was doing and that blasted needle just kept climbing.
And there was me – seemingly powerless to stop the gain. Watching helplessly as my weight spun out of control
I remember how disheartening that was for me.
What did I do next?
What pretty much every other woman does:
- Start one fad diet to lose weight quickly
- Fall off that diet just to
- Gain back the weight as quickly
- Start the next fad diet,
- Submit to the feelings of resentment and deprivation
- Break the diet
- Binge eat
- Gain back the weight and more
- Continue to ride that diet roller-coaster
Just to add to feelings of frustration, failure, inadequacy and helplessness, I’d landed in the perimenopause phase of life – a time of mood swings, weight fluctuation, hormonal wildness and who knows what else those searing hot blazes will bring.
Nothing I attempted to get control of the weight seemed to help.
What happened next likely saved my sanity.
I went to school for nutrition and holistic health and finally had an epiphany – I’d been going about it all wrong.
For one thing, fad diets don’t work. They don’t help anyone. And that certainly was true for me.
The biggest breakthrough was when I realized I was considering just one piece of the puzzle.
When I finally started paying attention to what my body was telling me, and began to listen to it’s quiet signals, I learned that it wasn’t just healthy foods my body wanted.
There was so much more – so many more pieces of the puzzle. It’s when I began to put all the pieces of the holistic health puzzle together, that I began to see things change.
If you’re as frustrated as I was and trying to figure out why you’re doing all the things you used to do prior to menopause that would keep you at a healthy weight, and now, as you enter this next phase are seeing the needle creep up anyway, you may be experiencing Weight Loss Resistance.
No mystery here, it’s exactly how it sounds: weight that just won’t budge no matter what you do!
One surprising reason why you might be gaining weight or experiencing weight loss resistance: lack of good quality, restorative sleep.
There are actually science-backed reasons why a lack of sleep can be a strong contributing factor to not being able to maintain a healthy weight.
Why Lack of Sleep Causes Weight Gain
If you thought unsightly dark circles under the eyes were the worst outcome from cutting corners on sleep, you may want to think again.
Good quality sleep – and enough of it – is of the utmost importance to nearly every bodily system you have. Losing out on your Z’s, even just a little, creates a vicious cycle in your body.
For example, where a healthy body weight may be of concern, the more sleep deprived you are, the higher your levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, will be. Increased levels of cortisol increases your appetite.
Once your appetited is increased, a lack of sleep also messes with your body’s natural ability to process sugar and carbs – which of course is what you’re craving – sweets or carbs after a crappy night’s sleep.
Then, when you’re overtired, the mitochondria (little cellular factories that turn food and oxygen into energy = metabolism centers) actually start to shut down.
This causes glucose to stay in your blood, and you end up with high blood sugar levels.
Then there’s the hormone, insulin. Its job it is to signal the body’s muscle, fat, and liver cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream to be used for energy.
It’s no wonder a significant population is suffering from Diabetes and even childhood diabetes is on the rise.
A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that skimping on sleep can cause fat cells to become less insulin-sensitive by up to 30% – meaning they lose their ability to use insulin properly.
In addition to all of this, yet another reason exists that may cause you to pack on pounds.
When you’re even a little sleep deprived, your body goes into survival mode. Much like when we deprive our bodies of too little energy & calories, your body thinks it’s better to be fat than to be dead.
Survival mode = extra fat storage.
And all of that isn’t even the worst of it!
Research says that just 30 minutes of lost sleep per day could make you more likely to gain weight.
See how it’s a vicious cycle?
Good quality and enough sleep nightly could arguably be the most important thing a person can do if they’re ready to start a new healthy lifestyle or manage life living in menopause – and take more control of their weight.
Make Sleep, or Getting Good Quality Sleep, A Priority
Sleeping isn’t just a time to rest — you’re actually nourishing your body just as you are when you’re eating healthy foods.
So…how can you get off this wild rollercoaster?
Start with a few behavioral and mindset shifts your body will thank you for
Here are my Top 10 Tips for changing your habits so that you can enjoy a better night of sleep, better health, gain more control over seemingly out-of-control menopausal weight gain.
- Eliminate/reduce caffeine and alcohol.
- Turn off electronic devices 1-2 hours before bed.
- Finish dinner 3-4 hours before bedtime.
- Sleep in a totally dark room (all sources of light off, black-out curtains) or wear eye covers.
- Set your bedroom at a comfortable temperature.
- Take a soothing hot bath at night before bed.
- Use relaxing breathing techniques or meditation.
- Relax and read before bed.
- Write down a list of things you want to get done tomorrow or put it on your calendar (dump your brain of details, so you can relax).
- A cup of warm, comforting Chamomile tea right before bed ONLY if you’re sure it won’t mean you’ll be up in the middle of the night for a disturbing trip to the loo).
Enjoy a delicious cup of warm DIY Sleepytime Tea to help you get more quality Zzzz’s – you’ll find the recipe below.
If you struggle to get a good nights’ sleep, or you’ve noticed the weight slowly creeping on and would like some help, schedule your free “HEALTHY YOU” Clarity Call with me today.
This is a complimentary session. We’ll discuss your sleeping habits and weight loss goals, and by the end of our chat, you’ll have:
- Some strategies and solutions
- A simple Action Plan &
- Resources to help
How? Email me at lwadsworth@verizon-net and let’s chat.
DIY Sleepytime Herbal Tea Blend
Ingredients
3 parts dried chamomile
2 parts each: dried peppermint and dried lemon balm
1 part each: dried lavender and dried passionflower
1/4 part valerian root (it is important to only add this much valerian root)
Fresh, filtered water
Preparation
While heating water on the stove or in an electric kettle (up to 160 degrees F is optimal for herbal tea), lightly mix herbs together in a bowl.
Place up to 1 Tb of herbal tea mixture into a tea infuser ball.
Place infuser into your favourite mug, and fill it with hot, but not boiled water.
Let your tea steep for up to 5 minutes (but at least 2 mins) before removing the infuser ball.
