The Importance of Sleep on the HCG Diet

Can’t sleep on the HCG Diet? Why?

As the saying goes, “Sleep more, weight less” is true. The amount of sleep you get directly affects your diet. When you are short of sleep, you tend to weight more. You also have more trouble losing weight than those who get enough sleep and even on the same diet. When you aren’t sleeping, your body cooked up a perfect recipe for weight gain. You are tempted to go for a large latte just to get you moving or skip your daily routine exercise because you are too tired to do anything. You are even too lazy to cook for your meal so you ended up getting takeout for dinner and turn to another latte because you are uncomfortably full.

There are certain things that you should do when trying to lose weight. You give up on junk foods, soda and anything loaded with sugar and carbs. You increase your veggie and fruit intake, you hit the gym regularly (during Phase 3) but what you don’t realize is that getting enough sleep is a very important part of the HCG Diet protocol.

Here’s what will happen if you will not get enough sleep:

1. When you don’t get enough sleep your body produces too much hunger causing hormones ghrelin and leptin. This can make you more susceptible to overeat and feel less satisfied afterward. When the leptin hormone in your body is low it will stimulate hunger.
2. Your glucose and insulin level spike similar to those who are diabetic because your fat cells lose its ability to make use of insulin properly. As your body becomes used to insulin, more and more insulin will be produced to function. This leads to fat buildup and eventually could lead to diabetes. Your insulin sensitivity will drop by more than 30% and this can make you feel metabolically groggy.
3. Less amount of sleep prompts you to eat a bigger portion of food all the time which can make you gain weight. You will likely to crave for energy-dense, high-carbohydrate foods.
4. Less sleep can slow down your metabolism. Too little sleep can trigger the cortisol hormone which signals your body to conserve energy to fuel your waking hours. Studies have shown that when you cut back on sleep, the amount of weight you lost from fat will drop by 55%. You will feel hungrier and less satisfies after a meal. When cortisol hormone is elevated, it stimulates your body for more sugar cravings plus it makes your body retain more water causing a stall on your weight.
5. Lack of sleep can make you stressed out making it difficult for you to control your appetite. Once your body is sleep-deprived, more cortisol hormone is produced. This stress hormone triggers the reward center of your brain which can make you crave for more food. The combination of more ghrelin and more cortisol makes you eat more foods that you normally do in to feel satisfied.
6. Lack of sleep equals more salty and sugary foods which will make you less likely to say no to unhealthy treats. Exhaustion from not getting enough sleep reduces your mental clarity and judgement so you are more likely to reach for donuts on your way to your office when you’d normally have a piece of fruit.
7. Your decision making with food choices is poor. Without enough sleep, you choose quick and easy food options and sad to say these food options are not HCG Diet-friendly. When you get enough sleep, the hormones in your body will function better and therefore, you will make better food choices.
8. Lack of sleep can impact your gym time during the maintenance phase of the HCG diet. You feel exhausted so you are much more likely to skip the gym but a decent night sleep will help you do more the next day. When you sleep you produce more growth hormones which will help you burn fats, repair and build muscle tissue, increase your strength and lose more weight the next day. Sleep will keep you energized and motivated through your workout.
   

Can’t sleep on the HCG diet?

The number reason why you find it difficult to get a good sleep while on the HCG Diet is due to your elevated cortisol hormone. Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands and one of its main functions is to increase your glucose, protein and fat flow out of your body. It tends to rise in the morning when you are awake. It’s also released once you’re physically or emotional stress.

Another reason why you can’t sleep well is due to messed up melatonin. Melatonin is a sleep hormone produced by the pineal gland. This sleep hormone allows your body to wake up when it’s time to wake up and sleep when it’s time to sleep. Your body will normally make more melatonin at night and drops in the morning when the sun goes up.

Ways to sleep better

Sleep is just as important as taking in water, nutrient-rich food, and exercise. Here are ways to help you get better sleep:

1. Do not drink coffee late at night. The caffeine in your coffee can stay elevated in your blood for 6 to 8 hours.
2. Sleep and wake at consistent times so your melatonin won’t mess up. Irregular sleep pattern can mess up your melatonin and alter your circadian rhythm.
3. Take melatonin supplement to help you sleep better. The recommended dosage is 2 mg before bedtime to help you fall asleep faster and help improve the quality of your sleep.
4. Optimize your bedroom environment so you can get a good night sleep. These include external noise, temperature, external light, and furniture arrangement.
5. Do not eat late in the evening because this can negatively impact the natural release of melatonin and HGH hormone and the quality of your sleep.
6. Relax and clear your mind before going to bed. These are pre-sleep routine to help you fall asleep faster and improved the quality of your sleep.
7. Get a comfortable bed, pillow and mattress because bed quality can also affect sleep. Though extremely subjective a good quality of the bed, mattress, and pillow can enhance sleep while poor-quality of beddings can cause lower-back pains.
8. Exercise regularly but not before bedtime. Exercise can enhance all aspect of sleep but doing it late at night can cause sleep problems.