Sleep When Overweight

Inability to sleep can occur for various reasons including a disrupted sleep pattern, anxiety, pain and jet lag. Being overweight and not taking enough exercise also increases the likelihood of insomnia. Insomnia is said to occur when lack of sleep has affected your daily activities for more than a month. If you are short on sleep it can cause you to gain weight.

Most people have experienced being unable to sleep at some point in their lives. It may have just been for a night or two when something was on your mind, but it can also be a long term problem that increases your risk of depression. It can be frustrating when it takes a long time to get off to sleep and it can be exhausting waking in the night and being unable to settle off again.

However there are ways to improve your sleep pattern by making changes to your diet and lifestyle:

• Have a high carbohydrate snack a couple of hours before going to bed. This will release serotonin, a calming, sleep-inducing neurotransmitter. A lettuce sandwich is ideal. Avoid eating a heavy meal late at night as digestion slows down then.
• Aim to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
• Wind down with a warm bath then read something gentle. Make your bed room a calming space. Make sure it is cool, dark and clutter free.
• Dehydration can cause toxins to build up, causing irritability and insomnia. Drink water throughout the day but not too much for the last couple of hours before going to bed or you may need the toilet in the night.
• Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, the subsequent dehydration will probably wake you up after about 3 hours, before you have gone into the deep sleep which you need when you are suffering from insomnia.
• If you are not eating the right food through the day, inadequate nutrition can cause a lack of sleep so improve your diet and supplement with a multivitamin.
• Caffeine and sugar are stimulants that make the body alert so are best avoided for a few hours before sleep, try herb tea instead.
• Exercise can help, but don't work out too close to bed time. Take a walk earlier in the day, the light can help, try yoga and breathe deeply to relax your mind.
• Keep a notepad and pen by the bed and write down things that are on your mind - things you are worried about or need to do.
• Talk to your Doctor if your sleep problem continues

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