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Sleep, Stress and How It Relates to Obesity. Affinity Body Solutions Can Help You to Get a Better Nights Rest Lack of sleep, increased stress, and obesity are a dangerous combination. With the increased socio-economic stressors this combination is becoming more and more prevalent among society. Each in itself is important and something to be concerned about. Stress affects the body in multiple ways. When you are under stress the body will try to cope with it by releasing cortisol. Cortisol is considered the body’s “stress hormone”. This hormone can increase blood pressure, blood sugar, stomach acids, cause short-term memory problems, osteoporosis, reduced sex hormones and immune responses, as well as increasing weight gain primarily in the abdominal region. It is also felt that prolonged elevated cortisol levels may impair learning due to damaging an area in the brain that is associated with learning. It also will cause you to have trouble sleeping. Cortisol is always present in the body to some degree, and naturally goes up and down according to the body’s day-night cycle, and your stress. One of the first symptoms people usually have due to stress is trouble sleeping. This can be directly caused by elevated cortisol levels. It can also be a symptom of a condition called sleep apnea. Although a majority of sleep apnea disorders are found in overweight or obese individuals, it can also be found in normal weight individuals. It is more common in heavier individuals due to the combination of stress, which causes weight gain and leads to sleep apnea. Lack of sleep due to sleep apnea increases stress; then follows increased weight gain due to cortisol production. It becomes a vicious cycle. Sleep apnea is known to increase the risks for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and obesity. It can also increase the risk of, or worsen heart failure as well as cause irregular heartbeats. People with sleep apnea have excessive daytime drowsiness, which can also increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents. Sleep is a vital component of proper health and maintenance. It is recommended you obtain 6-8 hours of sleep per night. People sleeping less than this may see significant changes in the hormones that control hunger and the feelings of being satisfied with the foods they eat. This obviously will lead to additional weight gain that can cause sleep apnea, diabetes, heart disease as well as a host of other issues relating to being overweight or obese. As you can see, sleep, stress and obesity are all interrelated. The physicians at Affinity Body Solutions understand these relationships, and will work with you to obtain the proper balance that you require for good health. If deemed necessary we can prescribe a sleep study to determine if you are suffering from sleep apnea. We are very familiar with and offer Adaptogens, which help reduce cortisol levels, improve sleep, and boost your immune system as well as reduce the feelings of stress. To learn more about Adaptogens, please click here. |