#166 - Sleep: The Foundation Habit Nobody Wants to Prioritise (But Should)

Okay, so when it comes to fat loss and body composition, sleep deprivation elevates cortisol, which is your stress hormone, promotes fat storage and muscle breakdown, and it makes fat loss and body recomposition in general, you know, if you're looking to lose body fat and build a bit of strength and muscle, it makes it so much harder than it needs to be.

When it comes to cognitive function and willpower, even mild sleep restriction, even six hours per night, it impairs decision-making, self-control, and emotional regulation significantly.

So how are we supposed to make the decisions that we want to make to, to live our best lives if we're genuinely not functioning properly due to even just a minor lack of sleep? And then in relation to overall health and longevity, short sleep duration is independently linked to an increase in heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and immune dysfunction.

So it is over time ...

Now, I don't want anyone to panic, okay? Because, you know, if you're going through a bad period and you're sleeping great at the minute, you're not, you know, suddenly going to develop heart disease.

This, you know, I'm talking about chronic sleep, even mild sleep deprivation over a long period of time.

So if you are a young mom and you're, you are struggling with sleep deprivation with- because of your baby that doesn't understand how important it is to you [laughs], that is not ...

Like, don't get stressed about this, okay? Because getting stressed about lack of sleep is, is gonna be counterproductive as well.

So it's about optimizing the sleep that you can manage to get and, you know, and I know there's lots of ladies listening that are dealing with perimenopause and menopause, and sleep disruption can be a huge issue.

So obviously, as you are experiencing symptoms that are really interrupting your day-to-day life and affecting your overall health and, you know, functionality, it is important to go to your doctor about it.

But in a practical sense, all of these things that I'm talking about in the podcast, you know, that eating a bit more protein, eating more fiber, daily movement, lifting some weights, drinking plenty of water, you know, as we build these habits that I'm going through episode by episode, your sleep will improve as well as long as you put the sleep routine in place.

So a l- although a lot might be feeling out of your control at the minute, as you bit by bit start to improve your lifestyle in all areas, you'll find that your sleep, when you give it a bit of attention, will also start to improve.

And there is ob- obviously a healthy lifestyle is not a fix for everything and, you know, working closely with your doctor in relation to any, you know, serious sleep disruption or in relation to menopause as necessary.

Okay, so when it comes to fat loss and body composition, sleep deprivation elevates cortisol, which is your stress hormone, promotes fat storage and muscle breakdown, and it makes fat loss and body recomposition in general, you know, if you're looking to lose body fat and build a bit of strength and muscle, it makes it so much harder than it needs to be.

When it comes to cognitive function and willpower, even mild sleep restriction, even six hours per night, it impairs decision-making, self-control, and emotional regulation significantly.

So how are we supposed to make the decisions that we want to make to, to live our best lives if we're genuinely not functioning properly due to even just a minor lack of sleep? And then in relation to overall health and longevity, short sleep duration is independently linked to an increase in heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and immune dysfunction.

So it is over time ...

Now, I don't want anyone to panic, okay? Because, you know, if you're going through a bad period and you're sleeping great at the minute, you're not, you know, suddenly going to develop heart disease.

This, you know, I'm talking about chronic sleep, even mild sleep deprivation over a long period of time.

So if you are a young mom and you're, you are struggling with sleep deprivation with- because of your baby that doesn't understand how important it is to you [laughs], that is not ...

Like, don't get stressed about this, okay? Because getting stressed about lack of sleep is, is gonna be counterproductive as well.

So it's about optimizing the sleep that you can manage to get and, you know, and I know there's lots of ladies listening that are dealing with perimenopause and menopause, and sleep disruption can be a huge issue.

So obviously, as you are experiencing symptoms that are really interrupting your day-to-day life and affecting your overall health and, you know, functionality, it is important to go to your doctor about it.

But in a practical sense, all of these things that I'm talking about in the podcast, you know, that eating a bit more protein, eating more fiber, daily movement, lifting some weights, drinking plenty of water, you know, as we build these habits that I'm going through episode by episode, your sleep will improve as well as long as you put the sleep routine in place.

So a l- although a lot might be feeling out of your control at the minute, as you bit by bit start to improve your lifestyle in all areas, you'll find that your sleep, when you give it a bit of attention, will also start to improve.

And there is ob- obviously a healthy lifestyle is not a fix for everything and, you know, working closely with your doctor in relation to any, you know, serious sleep disruption or in relation to menopause as necessary.