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6 Steps To Restful Sleep For More Energy & Less Weight Gain

Woman struggling to sleep

Sleep often becomes something of a holy grail once you enter perimenopause. And if you can’t find a way to navigate sleep issues it may travel with you through the menopause transition into post-menopause.

For some women, sleeplessness only becomes an issue once they’ve transitioned through menopause. Since sleep disorders can increase with age, this in one reason why. By the same token however, there are those for whom things improve post-menopause. 

Whichever camp you fall into we know a disrupted sleep can be extraordinarily disabling and play havoc with your daily life.

A lack of sleep can contribute to:

What’s more, when you look at the above list a lot of those symptoms make sense. Even the Energiser Bunny winds down and comes to a full stop when his batteries run out.

And sleep time is when our human batteries recharge.

Sleep Loss & Weight Gain

What you may not realise is that poor sleep contributes to increased weight or more specifically, belly fat. Of course, we realise that fat settling itself around the abdomen is very distressing to some of you. Especially as it can proven to be very difficult to shift. 

And while there can be a cascade of reasons behind this, a lack of sleep can be a contributory factor. 

Furthermore, the reduced sleep levels of the 21st Century are believed to contribute to the obesity epidemic which has doubled since the 1980s.

One research manuscript stated that: “Sleep is an important modulator of neuroendocrine function and glucose metabolism and sleep loss has been shown to result in metabolic and endocrine alterations, including decreased glucose tolerance, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased evening concentrations of cortisol, increased levels of ghrelin, decreased levels of leptin, and increased hunger and appetite.”

In layman’s terms, this says a lack of sleep and the associated disruption of blood sugar, the hunger and satiety hormones ghrelin and leptin and an increase in the stress hormone cortisol contributes to weight gain in a big way. Think about it for a second. Have you ever noticed you feel hungry more often if you’re having issues sleeping?

The paper goes on to say “sleep loss could also affect energy balance by increasing sedentary behaviour and decreasing non-exercising energy expenditure”. While it’s not well studied, it makes sense that fatigue makes you feel less prone to exercise and your resting metabolism go down. Contrarily, some studies have shown the non-exercise energy used goes up – perhaps due to tossing and turning at night.

The Circadian Rhythm & Sleep

Humans have 24-hour circadian rhythms that generally respond to light and dark. So as day moves into night the hormone melatonin is released. Subsequently, it lets the brain know it’s time to think about sleep. However, with the advent of electricity, our natural circadian rhythm has changed. What’s more, modern life has taken it a step further.

Many of us:

  • eat at a later hour
  • look at lit screens constantly
  • are busy ‘doing’ from morning to night
  • head to bed at a late hour

Add to that high stress or chronic low-grade stress and it creates a perfect storm for sleep disruption.

With this in mind, is it surprising that weight gain can be due to physiological reasons such as sleeplessness rather than overeating? As a result, the extra kilo’s won’t easily budge until the root cause is taken care of.

A Word About Melatonin, Tryptophan & Magnesium & Sleep

As has been noted, melatonin is a hormone our body produces when night falls and it’s crucial for sleep. Therefore, it may be helpful to know research suggests dietary factors can make a difference to our melatonin production. Indeed, eating a diet high in foods rich in melatonin and/or the amino acid tryptophan which synthesises melatonin can be helpful.

Tryptophan produces vitamin B3 (niacin) and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is sometimes called ‘the feel-good’ chemical as it’s believed to be an important sleep and mood regulator.

And another sleep enhancer is the mineral magnesium which is present in many foods. It’s important to realise that there are a variety of forms available. However, magnesium acetyltaurate, magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate are considered to be the most well absorbed by the human body.

6 Sleep Steps For More Energy & Less Weight Gain

  1. Be consistent with the times you get up in the morning and when you turn the lights out. Try and get in sync with your circadian rhythm as this is your natural sleep-wake cycle.
  2. Exercise early. In terms of sleep, the earlier in the day you exercise the better. Moreover, active movement revs your metabolism, body temperature and stimulates cortisol so it’s a great all-over tonic. And Yoga Nidra or gentle stretching would be ideal before bed as this study shows.
  3. Get out of your head and calm your racing mind by learning to meditate. University of Southern California research found improvements in sleep quality in people who meditated.
  4. Increase daytime bright light particularly in winter months and decrease nighttime blue light. Interesting studies showed that exposure to blue-enriched white light during the day improved positive mood, evening fatigue, concentration and daytime sleepiness. At night, turn off the screens on your devices as early as possible because the blue light they emit isn’t sleep or health-friendly.
  5. Eat melatonin/tryptophan/magnesium-rich foods. There are examples below as well as an extended list here.
melatonin-foods

High Melatonin Foods

  • Almonds/walnuts
  • Cherries
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Goji Berries
  • Kiwifruit
  • Milk

High Magnesium Foods

  • Almonds/cashews
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Fatty fish
  • Leafy greens
  • Legumes – edamame, beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas
  • Seeds – flax, pumpkin, chia
  • Tempeh
  • Tofu
  • Wholegrains – oats, buckwheat, quinoa, barley

High Tryptophan Foods

  • Edamame beans
  • Eggs
  • Nuts
  • Oats
  • Poultry
  • Salmon
  • Seeds
  • Soy – tofu, soy milk, soy sauce

6. Take 40+ or 55+. The herbal trio we use for hormone balancing – EstroG-100™ – has been clinically trialled and shown to help improve sleep and fatigue. 55+ also contains marine magnesium.

The Science behind 40+ and 55+

Indeed, we have a bonus for you! Click here to download our FREE Sleep Hygiene Guide.

And if you have any questions don’t hesitate to email us here, and if you feel this would help someone you love please share it with them (you can do that below). 

 

 

Main Photo by Gabby K from Pexels

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Post-menopause


This is the time when menstruation is well and truly over, the ovaries have stopped producing high levels of sex hormones and for many ladies, perimenopause symptoms subside.

Estrogen has protective qualities and the diminished levels mean organs such as your brain, heart and bones become more vulnerable. It’s also a key lubricant so your lips may become drier, your joints less supple and your vagina might be drier. In addition, your thyroid, digestion, insulin, cortisol and weight may alter.

At this juncture, a woman might experience an increase in the signs of reduced estrogen but she should have a decrease of perimenopause symptoms. That said, some women will experience symptoms like hot flushes for years or even the rest of their lives.

Perimenopause

Peri = ‘near’

Most females begin to experience the symptoms of perimenopause in their mid-forties. Your progesterone levels decline from your mid-30s but it’s generally from around 40 that the rest of your sex hormones begin to follow suit. 

Perimenopause is a different experience for every woman and some women may barely notice it. The first indicators are usually changes to the monthly cycle. This means that for some ladies, this can be accompanied by things like sore breasts, mood swings, weight gain around the belly, and fatigue as time goes on.

For those with symptoms it can be a challenging time physically, mentally and emotionally.

Importantly, perimenopause lasts – on average – four to 10 years. The transition is usually a gradual process and many women enter perimenopause without realising.