Hi,
It's Catherine.
Did you know?
Let your stress and sleep and your weight are all connected.
If you're trying to lose weight and you're also not sleeping well.
I'm here to explain that connection.
Then we can fix one and the other gets a whole lot easier.
Let's start with stress.
When you're stressed,
Your body releases cortisol.
High cortisol keeps you wired at night.
Which makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
It also drives cravings for sugary,
Salty comfort foods and encourages your body to store fat around the belly.
Now add two more hormones that you may not have realized are affected by lack of sleep.
Grelin is your I'm hungry signal.
When you're short on sleep.
Studies with insomniacs show that ghrelin increases.
The other hormone,
Leptin,
Is your I'm full signal.
And that reduces drastically with less sleep.
So you don't get the signal that you're full.
And you're only getting a signal saying I'm hungry all the time.
So you wake up hungrier.
You crave more carbs because your brain is feeling a little depleted and stressed and your appetite needs more and more food before it feels satisfied.
That is not a lack.
Of willpower.
That's biology,
Working not exactly in your favor.
The good news is that you can break the cycle from either end.
And meditation is one of the gentlest,
Most effective ways to do it.
A guided meditation practice can lower stress.
Thus balancing your hormones.
Calming.
Your nervous system.
And help you fall asleep.
More easily while bringing clarity and pause.
To understand your emotional eating.
Better sleep helps bring ghrelin and leptin.
Back into balance.
So cravings ease off.
And healthy choices feel less like a fight.
And slow,
Mindful eating also helps you pause between the feeling and the forecast.
Giving the food a chance to send a signal from your stomach to your brain that you've had enough.
And it's amazing how often you'll start to look down at your plate when you feel full and you'll notice You've had enough food,
Yet there's still a half.
Of it left in front of you that you don't want to eat.
This is when your little take-out box is your friend.
So it could be as simple as.
Slowing down and also asking yourself to have a little self-awareness.
Am I actually hungry?
Or am I stressed?
Or am I angry?
Or lonely?
Or really tired?
If you aren't actually hungry.
And you want to reach for food?
And that's when you take a breath and a pause and become curious and compassionate with yourself.
Sit with your feelings like you would with a best friend.
And allow the emotion to just come and go without numbing it with food.
Here's your first step.
You could tonight just choose a meditation to listen to at bedtime.
Like my sleep track,
Dive into your dreams.
Then,
During the day,
You can do smaller guided visualizations,
Like my healthy weight meditation.
Or if you just want to place something in the background while you're doing chores.
Working,
I have a healthy weight affirmation track which goes on for about an hour and it will help build confidence on a deep subconscious level.
Small mindful steps.
Done consistently.
Are what lead to real.
Weight management.
And truly restful.
Healing sleep.
And I'll be with you every step of the way.
