Are you battling to get a good nights’ sleep? Does your spouse or partner complain that you snore? Do you wake up feeling miserable the whole day, and to make matters worse, are you beginning to notice that you are gaining weight?
You may be stuck in a vicious cycle that promises to only get worse if the problem is not solved soon! The situation may look grim but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The Culprits
Eve Van Cauter, who directs the Research Laboratory on Sleep, Chronobiology and
Neuroendocrinology at the University of Chicago School of Medicine has noted that sleep is dependent on the body’s hormones. Fat cells release the hormone Leptin into the blood stream which acts as a natural appetite suppressant and tells the brain that the stomach is full. The stomach then releases the hunger hormone Ghrelin which signals when it is empty.
When a good nights’ sleep is not achieved, it results in disrupted hormone levels. Studies conducted at the University of Chicago in Illinois and at Stanford University in California have shown that this disrupted sleep pattern causes low levels of Leptin and higher levels of Ghrelin. This change in hormone levels increases appetite, especially for high carbohydrate and high calorie foods and this increase in appetite initiates a vicious cycle of over-eating, weight gain and disrupted sleep.
Sleep Problems
There are a number of factors that contribute to bad sleeping habits. These include:
Environmental factors such as reactions with certain foods or drinks that are high in sugar or caffeine levels, alcohol use or Shift Work sleep disorder;
Psychological factors such as depression, stress or anxiety disorders;
Medical factors such as asthma, reactions to certain medication or genetic disorders like narcolepsy;
Physical factors such as ulcers, Restless Leg Syndrome, Sleep Apnea, chronic pain or snoring.
Although there are countless causes for sleeping problems, there are very few that actually affect both parties in a relationship, and snoring is one of the biggest and most common problems. Studies found that over half of the overweight population suffers from snoring and 80% of those snoring sufferers who were in a relationship were forced to sleep in separate rooms.
When snoring sufferers battle to have a good nights’ sleep, their partners tend to battle as well, which results in both suffering with disrupted hormone levels and increased appetites.
Break the cycle…
The cycle can be stopped by solving the source of the most common problem – Snoring. Anti-snoring mouthpieces have proven to be a reliable and effective solution for many snoring suffers. A popular example is the Snoremeds anti-snoring mouthpiece, which has proven highly successful with 85% of snoring sufferers who use it. SnoreMeds, which is made from hypoallergenic thermoplastic, is medically recommended and is an oral appliance that is generally worn at night.
Like other mandibular devices, Snoremeds works as a splint by positioning and holding the lower jaw slightly forward during sleep. As a result, the respiratory tract is widened, which enables air to flow unobstructed through the breathing passage, allowing the patient to breathe more freely and stop snoring.
Start a new one
By eliminating the snoring vibrations the sufferer is able to have a better nights’ sleep, wake up feeling a lot more refreshed and alert as well as restore the body’s Leptin and Ghrelin hormone levels. The sufferer then stops craving and relying on those high carbohydrate, high calorie foods to keep them awake during the day, which ultimately causes them to start eating fewer calories and start losing weight!