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When the whirlwind of obligations finally subsides in the evening, we try to catch up on what we’ve missed. This creates unhealthy habits that cost us extra kilos.
Lack of sleep can cause weight gain. Excess sleep also undermines attempts to lose weight.
There are, however, a number of other pitfalls that negatively affect your weight. For example, how you wake up in the morning.
You don’t get enough sleep
Consequences:
- It affects your metabolism, making it much slower
- Lack of sleep makes you feel hungry
- Your cortisol levels increase
- You exercise less because you feel tired.
Recommendations:
- You should sleep at least 8 hours a night.
- On the other hand, you may sleep too long
This means ten or more hours a day. During sleep the hormone leptin is produced, which signals that we are satiated. It’s clear what happens when we don’t get enough sleep.
Lack of sleep increases production of ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry. According to scientists, excessive sleep can also completely disrupt the hormones, so they won’t know at what time they should be released properly. Ideally you should sleep six, at most nine hours, which still seems like too much to many of us.
You wake up in the dark
In winter it’s complicated, especially when you have to get up early. As soon as it starts to dawn, you shouldn’t be waking up in a dark room.
A study published in PLoS One found that people who didn’t have enough daylight in the morning had significantly higher BMIs than those who opened the curtains right after waking.
And that’s regardless of how much food they ate. According to the study, 20 to 30 minutes of daylight a day can affect your BMI. Therefore, as soon as you get up in the morning, open the curtains or blinds throughout your apartment.
You overate at dinner
Consequences:
- You may eat too much or too heavy food and as a result your digestion slows down, especially at night
- While eating you tend to watch TV, which also causes you to eat more.
Recommendations:
- Choose a light dinner consisting mainly of protein and vegetables.
You go to bed immediately after dinner
Consequences:
- The amount of fat cells increases
- Digestive problems occur.
Recommendation:
- You must have your last meal approximately 1.5-2 hours before sleeping.
You have fried foods for dinner
Consequences:
- The food has too many calories that your body won’t have time to burn
- You will gain more fat cells
- Restless sleep.
Recommendations:
- For dinner you should prefer baked, grilled, or stewed dishes.
- You use a mobile phone or computer before sleeping
Consequences:
- The blue light emitted by these devices affects health and sleep.
- Radio waves also cause sleep deprivation.
Recommendations:
- Turn off devices at least one hour before bed. Read a book or listen to relaxing music.
You go to bed late every night
Consequences:
- It leads to more fat because it’s not the body’s natural cycle
- You risk skipping breakfast.
Recommendations:
Go to bed as soon as you feel sleepy. If you still feel too lively at the end of the day, try incorporating some physical exercise.
