Many midlife women have become pros at functioning with a poor quality of sleep. So much so that wondering, does sleep affect weight, never crosses the mind. Let me just jump ahead and spill the beans, sleep is the one thing you can prioritize that will raise all your health markers.

My passion is to help midlife women take control of their health by relearning how to work with their body the way God designed it to work. A crucial part of your body being able to function as designed is the ability to release the toxins that build up each day. This housecleaning of toxins is meant to happen while you're sleeping. So the first way that a lack of sleep is harming you is by creating toxin build up.

This release of toxins in the body cycle is similar to the cleaning cycle of your dishwasher. If you yank out the dishes before letting all the cycles complete the dishes are going to be covered in gunk and far from appetizing. Without proper toxin release cycles in your body gunk builds up over time.

This shows up in real life when you have unexplained weight gain, brain fog, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and age related chronic illnesses. To sum it up, you feel less than your best. We’re all a walking rain barrel that at some point is bound to overflow, unless we take charge of our health and make choices that align with our bodies design.

The topic of hormones is sure to come up in a conversation with any midlife woman. We’ve been led to believe that hormonal imbalances are inevitable and it’s estrogen, progesterone and testosterone typically stealing the spotlight. Truth is, there’s a whole cast of hormones that can go haywire.

Ghrelin and leptin hormones are two that will act like mischievous troublemakers without proper sleep. When these two are out of balance your best plans to control your calorie intake can be derailed, and you’ll beat yourself up for not having enough willpower and then suffer the effects of a poor diet choice. These two are your hunger and satiety hormones.

When ghrelin levels are out of whack your hunger level makes you feel like feasting like a king. Which becomes problematic because your leptin soldiers have abandoned post and you no longer get the signal that you’ve had enough and it’s time to stop eating. It’s a dangerous combination and one you may well be feeling the effect of. Proper sleep is the way to regain control over these two hormones and reconnect to your hunger and fullness needs.

After years of trying all the standard diet actions I learned I was leaving one IMPORTANT action out of every plan I'd tried.

It was MINDSET!

And if you’ve been shorting yourself on sleep, permission to change is going to come from you. I've currated the FREE "Body Bliss Blueprint" Guide just for you. Your mindset holds the key to a blissful life.

👉🏻 Click here to get your copy.

Let me be clear, yes you can experience weight loss even when your sleep isn’t on point, but here’s a scary stat when it comes to weight loss and sleep…

When your body is starved of sleep 70% of your weight loss comes from precious lean muscle vs. stubborn unwanted fat.

Reread that and let it sink in.

When you’re sacrificing sleep time to insure you have dedicated time in the gym and still suffering from hitting a weight loss plateau you don’t want to see any loss you do achieve coming from that hard earned muscle.

The kicker about being tired is our decision-making takes a nosedive. Ever had the best intentions to follow a meal plan, only to bargain with yourself for one little exception, that turns into a series of exceptions. And if you do summon the energy for a workout it’s often a half-hearted intensity.

The silver lining is that sleep is your body's natural autopilot for pumping the brakes on our autonomic nervous system, therefore being your best natural blood pressure med and dropping cortisol levels (another hormone in the weight game!).

About now I’m sure you’re thinking this is all great, I do need to sleep more, sleep has been sabotaging my weight loss efforts.

It’s also possible that sleep feels like a constant adversary in your life. If that’s the case you’ve probably Googled tips and tricks for sleep several times. You’ve heard all the standard tips like keeping a consistent schedule, a tranquil environment that is cool and dark, keeping an eye on your caffeine intake, and powering down with a soothing routine before you jump into bed.

Those are certainly all part of a healthy sleep plan, but here’s a tip that might change your sleep game. This tip is all about the intriguing world of our associative brains. You see the brain is remarkable and at the same time can lead us astray. If sleep is something you’ve been fighting with for years it’s likely you’ve trained your brain for some habits that don’t work for you without realizing that’s what you were doing.

Ideally the bedroom is your sanctuary of slumber, however if you go to bed and find that sleep is playing hard to get, and you're still flip flopping around after 20-25 minutes… get up. That’s right, leave your cozy nest and go to another room to relax, preferably without electronics. Do something calming and don’t return to bed until you’re very tired.

It’s possible that years of fighting sleep have trained your brain into some not so great habits and change won't happen until you retrain your brain. Remember this weight loss and wellness journey you’re on is not just about shedding pounds, but shedding them in the right way, the sustainable way.

Sleep is just one of the 5 pillars in my Balanced Body Breakthrough program. All 5 pillars work together to help you transform your overall well-being in a sustainable way.

It’s possible for weight loss to be the happy side effect of you creating your healthier happier you. If you know you want change, but you’ve not followed through with past attempts, accountability and support are likely part of what's been missing.

If you know your past track record and know you’d do better with support, reach out and book a free 45-minute “Unlock your Wellness” virtual session.