Sufficient sleep
Sleep is often underestimated as a factor in losing weight. Too little sleep (less than 5 hours per night/day) disrupts the balance between the two hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that regulate appetite. This occurs especially in people who have irregular working hours. But also in people who systematically go to bed too late. Of course, not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. But for most people it is between 7 and 9 hours per night.
Many people find it difficult to give up alcohol. You do fall asleep easier with alcohol, but alcohol makes it harder to sleep through, and many people sleep restlessly after drinking alcohol. The next day you wake up tired. With too little sleep, your body also makes more cortisol. And cortisol stimulates the formation of belly fat....
But, what is cortisol?
Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone: it is produced by your adrenal glands when you experience stress and allows you to fight or flee.
Cortisol is a necessary hormone for your body. Among other things, you need it for : regulating your blood pressure, your sleep-wake rhythm and it raises your blood sugar levels.
So cortisol is very useful in a situation where quick action is needed. But the problem is that many people in today's society experience a lot of stress and therefore also have high cortisol levels. And that, unfortunately, has consequences for your health.
Symptoms of too much cortisol
A long-term high cortisol level is similar to a computer that is used intensively all day. The letters on the keyboard fade, the computer parts wear out and the computer starts up slower. In your body, it works much the same way.
Chronic stress can cause all kinds of health problems, including: anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep problems, digestive problems, forgetfulness, a lowered immune system, concentration problems and last but not least: weight gain!
Cortisol causes more hunger
Cortisol works against losing weight in two ways:
First, the cortisol hormone causes you to become more hungry and crave snacks and sweets. Because cortisol raises your blood sugar levels quickly, your body produces insulin (the hormone that causes your blood sugar levels to drop again quickly). You experience this drop in your blood sugar as hunger pangs and cravings for sweets. Second, cortisol causes excess calories (from the snacks) you eat to be stored as belly fat.
Cortisol and belly fat?
Cortisol stimulates the storage of visceral belly fat. Visceral fat is the fat that accumulates around the organs in the abdominal cavity, such as the liver, kidneys and intestines. Abdominal fat has up to 4 times more cortisol receptors than other fat. So when your cortisol levels are high, your body tends to produce belly fat faster than, say, fat on your hips.
That's why we like to share tips for lowering your cortisol:
By adjusting your lifestyle and diet, you can reduce the amount of cortisol you create. Try to avoid or reduce stressful situations as much as possible. To do so, see the tips below:
Tip 1: Get a good night's sleep; we now know why sleep is so important in losing weight😉
Tip 2: Schedule an hour (or 2 times half an hour) daily for yourself.
By doing so, you can already reduce a lot of the stress hormone cortisol. Block an hour in your calendar every day for `me-time`. An hour in which you do what you feel like doing. For example, read a magazine or a book (not too exciting), listen to soothing music, do something creative (such as drawing or coloring), go for a walk, yoga, a power nap or meditate.
Tip 3: Exercise, but not too intensely or for too long;
Exercise helps to lower your cortisol, but beware: intense exercise actually raises your cortisol again. The physical stress caused by an intense workout is also a form of stress and therefore causes an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. However, if your body relaxes again after exercising, your cortisol level will decrease more quickly after a longer period of time. A beneficial effect, therefore.
During and after exercise your cortisol level goes up briefly, but then it drops again fairly quickly. Exercise for a maximum of one hour.
Dietary tips to lower cortisol:
Cortisol increases your sense of hunger, especially your craving for sweet and fatty snacks. Therefore, it is important to always have healthy snacks at home. The right foods can help you lower the amount of cortisol you produce.
Here are our tips:
Tip 1: Don't go to bed hungry;
Going to bed hungry disrupts the quality of your sleep and your hormone balance. Eat a protein-rich snack such as a bowl of low-fat cottage cheese (as named as an evening snack in our nutrition plans).
Tip 2: Relax with lemon balm or chamomile tea;
Lemon balm and chamomile tea have a relaxing effect on your body. Better leave black tea or green tea aside in the evening. These contain theine ( a form of caffeine) which could keep you awake longer.
Tip 3: No caffeine after 2 p.m.;
Caffeine takes about 8 hours to break down. Therefore, you should rather not drink coffee or (cola) with caffeine after 2 p.m. when you go to sleep at 10 p.m. You can still drink decaffeinated coffee (99.7% of the caffeine has been removed).
Tip 4: Eat serotonin-rich foods;
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is considered a happiness hormone and is the precursor to melatonin, your sleep hormone. Serotonin is produced by the amino acid tryptophan and is found in such foods as: brown rice, eggs, dairy, nuts and legumes.
Tip 5: Limit or avoid alcohol
Because the body views alcohol as a toxic substance, it is prioritized by the liver to be broken down. As a result, the liver does not have time to break down cortisol. As a result, the stress hormone cortisol stays in the body longer, which can make you feel stressed. This lasts an average of 2 days. So you can actually suffer from stress for a long time. And you sleep much better without alcohol!
So to summarize: Go for a nice walk tonight after dinner, followed by a protein-rich snack and possibly a camomile tea, and go to bed on time. So that tomorrow morning you will wake up refreshed and ready to see on the scales that you have lost weight.😀
Written by:
Miranda van Breemen, dietician NewFysic
