Wouldn’t it be amazing if sleeping was all you needed to do in order to balance your blood sugar, lose weight, reverse insulin resistance or cure diabetes and hormone imbalances?

Sleep may not look like the so-called “magic pill” that you might be looking for, but it definitely plays a major role in the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, weight loss, inflammation and hormones.

A recent study showed how lack of adequate sleep negatively impacts the ability of fat cells to respond to insulin, one of the hormones that regulates metabolism, weight loss and is a major factor in developing diabetes.

Another recent study also found a link between short sleep duration and an increase in the progression to diabetes. This makes quality of sleep a key component in preventing or reversing insulin resistance, which also relates to risks associated with diabetes, overall weight loss and hormone balance.

We must learn to value sleep as much as we do diet and exercise.

When we are getting adequate and restful sleep, the body is able to restore and repair itself, our hormones can rebalance and nutrients can be absorbed and and converted into useful tools.

When sleep is inconsistent, disrupted or short in duration, our body is not able to fully recover.  Our circadian rhythm and cortisol balance becomes dysfunctional and a domino effect occurs in the body.

Sleeping is one of the ways in which we are able to balance cortisol, our stress hormone.  Cortisol regulates how our body uses insulin and the availability of glucose (sugar) in the body for energy.

Consider this classic textbook scenario… if you were being chased by a lion, your body would recognize this perceived stress and release cortisol as a result.  Cortisol would then act effectively to raise blood sugar levels for an abundance of energy, allowing you to think and move quickly to escape the lion!

In our modern world, our body doesn’t know the difference between a lion chasing you, crappy co-workers, an angry boss, traffic or relationship challenges.  On a physiological level, the body perceives all of this as “stress” and releases cortisol as if that lion was after you.

Back in the day when that lion was chasing you, you would have been running your butt off to escape it,in turn utilizing all of the excess glucose that was running through your bloodstream.  But now, in these modern times, we encounter stressors (such as traffic etc.) and more often than not we are sitting on our butts not exerting any kind of energy to use up that excess glucose that was release as cortisol increased in response to stress.

Cortisol prepares the body for action by moving glucose out of its storage form (glycogen) and raising glucose levels in the blood.  Insulin helps the cells to uptake glucose for energy.  Chronically elevated levels of cortisol, in response to the chronic stress in our lives, leads to chronically elevated levels of glucose and insulin. And being less active doesn’t help! As a result of this ongoing surplus, the cells stop responding to glucose and insulin’s ‘knock at the door’ (as I discussed in this recent blog).

So what does this all have to do with sleep?

As I mentioned before, getting adequate sleep is one of the ways we can recover from the stress of our day and support normal cortisol balance in the body.

In this week’s video and blog, I dive into more detail about how adequate sleep supports balanced blood sugar, weight loss, reversing insulin resistance and other hormonal imbalances.

Lack of adequate sleep can be perceived as stress by the body.

When we don’t get enough sleep, or when we sleep during the wrong times of day,  this can cause undue stress on the body.  And remember, it doesn’t matter what the stressor is, the body still reacts as if it’s being chased by a lion.

This perceived “stress” triggers the release of cortisol and therefore the cascading effects on glucose and insulin.

Chronic periods of sleep deprivation and disruption can actually flip normal cortisol level upside down or skew it way off track.  When this happens, other hormones such as thyroid, estrogen, testosterone and progesterone fall victim to the dysregulation all while leading to even more dysfunction and deeper health issues.

On top of the cortisol roller coaster ride, this study also found that poor sleep cycles negatively impact leptin and ghrelin, two hormones that control hunger and satiety.  You may have experienced this before, essentially less sleep means a bigger appetite, either because leptin and ghrelin are elevated or because you’re looking to food as a source of energy to make up for the lack of sleep.

Overconsumption of food (especially carbohydrates, even the healthy ones) can contribute to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain, digestive stress and a slew of other issues.

How to sleep your way to balanced blood sugar, weight loss and balanced, hormones…

Getting good quality sleep is partially about the amount of sleep you’re getting, but more importantly it’s about the time of day that you’re sleeping.

To sleep your way to balanced blood sugar, weight loss and better hormones, abide by these 3 rules for satisfying and restful sleep:

10pm Is Quitting Time.
Your body has an internal time clock based on the sun cycles and inherently wants to be asleep within a few hours after sunset.  Because of this internal time clock, certain restorative functions take place in the body at certain times during the night with the most critical ones running from 10pm-2am. If you’re constantly missing this window of sleep (10pm-2am) the body is not able to properly restore and repair itself, which leads to internal stress and dysfunctional cortisol levels. To support normal cortisol rhythms, being asleep- not just in bed but actually asleep- by 10pm most days of the week is best.  

Less Lights Are More.
Exposure to light after sundown tricks the body into thinking the sun is still up.  If the body thinks the sun is still up, it will continue to pump out cortisol, making it more difficult to fall asleep and keeping blood glucose levels elevated. This, in turn, can eventually contribute to insulin resistance over time.  Once the sun sets, be mindful of lowering the lights in your home, using dimmers when possible and using a rose colored nightshift setting on all of your devices.

Fatten Up For Bed.
Healthy fats help to keep your blood sugar balanced for extended periods of time, and can actually help you sleep more soundly.  If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, especially around 2-3am, it could be because your blood sugar levels are dropping too low and your body is releasing cortisol to bring them back up, giving you energy that wakes you up.  Try eating a fatty snack before bed to help balance your blood sugar overnight.  My favorite nighttime snacks include a little bit of coconut oil mixed with chocolate bone broth protein powder to the texture of paste placed in the freezer to solidify, or chocolate pudding made with avocado, full fat coconut milk and chocolate bone broth protein powder.

Healthy sleep habits and bedtime routines are just one critical aspect of balancing your blood sugar, achieving weight loss and having healthy hormones.

To uncover other hidden healing opportunities related to blood sugar imbalance, insulin resistance, weight gain, hormones or other health issues schedule a complimentary consultation with me here today!

Insulin Resistance – two words most commonly associated with Type II Diabetes and obesity, but you actually don’t have to be either one of those to be insulin resistant.

In fact, I see insulin resistance all the time in the everyday average person, even with those who workout regularly and eat “healthy.”

Some of the signature signs of insulin resistance can include:

• Challenges with energy balance: high’s and low’s
• Constant and/or uncontrollable cravings for carbs and sugar
• Difficulties losing weight or keeping it off
• Various hormone imbalances: cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, thyroid and testosterone

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin’s primary responsibility in the body is to move glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells so we can use it for energy.  When glucose levels remain high, even with normal levels of insulin this is called insulin resistance.  In this case, the cells aren’t answering the knock at the door to let insulin and glucose in, they are “resisting” insulin and blood glucose levels continue to climb.

How does insulin resistance happen, even in the average person?

When you eat, insulin levels increase signaling the liver to convert food into glycogen to be stored for energy later. When you’re not eating (while you’re sleeping or between meals) the body still needs glucose for energy.  During these times, when insulin levels are low and food is not present, the liver will then convert glycogen back into glucose for energy.

This is a brilliant mechanism for efficient energy utilization that our body has developed over thousands of years.

However, when the body is bombarded by glucose, this brilliant mechanism starts to fail.  The cells become saturated with glucose and therefore refuse to let any more in – they stop answering the knock at the door so insulin levels remain the same, yet glucose levels in the bloodstream remain high.

Logically then, anyone who is consuming carbohydrates in a way that isn’t right for their body, even the “healthy” ones, can overwhelm their body with glucose and fall into the insulin resistance trap.

Stress can also play a major role in how the body manages blood sugar.  Most people know cortisol as our stress hormone, but what you may not know is that cortisol also helps to regulate blood sugar.  Elevated stress, and therefore elevated cortisol, can also have a negative effect on how the body is able to use insulin and balance blood sugar.

Elevated levels of blood sugar over an extended period of time can eventually lead to Diabetes, but insulin resistance occurs long before a diagnosis is ever given.   Poorly managed blood sugar even for those who aren’t at high risk for Diabetes, can lead to chronic inflammation, fatigue, weight gain, sugar or carb cravings and other chronic conditions.

Risk factors contributing to insulin resistance can include…

• Eating small meals or constantly snacking throughout the day
• Hormone imbalances (cortisol, thyroid etc.) that affect metabolism
• Loading up on carbohydrates, even the “healthy” ones
• Chronic, unrelenting mental and emotional stress
• Inadequate amounts of fat and protein in the diet
• How your body metabolizes carbs, fats and protein- genetics
• Lack of exercise or improper exercise for your body
• Low fiber intake

In this week’s video and blog I dive into more detail about how insulin resistance happens, how to tell if you have it and what you can do to reverse or prevent it.

Carbs are cheap, easy and convenient foods.

We live in a world that has become carb centric – out of convenience and our desire to do less, yet accomplish more.  Our ancestors never had as many carbs readily available as we do now, they had to forage the forests and exhaust a lot of energy to collect fruits, vegetables and even grains.

Now walk into any store selling food and the shelves are lined with thousands of carb-loaded foods.

This over abundance of carbs, even the healthy ones, has paved the way for more prevalent insulin resistance.  Maybe you eat less carbs now, or healthier ones, but what we’re fighting against is years (or in some cases even decades) of carb-loading.

How can you tell if you have insulin resistance?

You could be battling insulin resistance if you struggle with:

• Energy dips, especially in the afternoon
• Climbing weight gain or weight that won’t come off even with calorie cutting
• Any type of hormone imbalance
• Insomnia or trouble sleeping in any way
• Brain fog or poor memory
• Water retention, inflammation and high cholesterol

These are just some of the signs correlating with insulin resistance, so the best way to know if you’re insulin resistant is to test, not guess.

You can pick up signs for insulin resistance on a dried urine comprehensive hormone test (DUTCH) that you would obtain from a functional health practitioner (such as myself, check out the test here), or by getting yourself a home blood glucose monitor and tracking your body’s glucose response to food.

If you decided to track your blood glucose at home, functional and healthy ranges are much different than what you would read on the Internet somewhere.  Generally optimal fasting glucose should be somewhere in the 70’s to 80’s range, and increases in blood sugar following meals would average about 10 points in fluctuations.

Regardless of whether you choose to test or not, here are some rules to live by to prevent or reverse insulin resistance…

It’s ok not to eat.
Constantly snacking or the old paradigm of eating 6 small meals a day requires the body to constantly be managing glucose levels, and can lead to over-saturation in the cells.  If you’re not hungry, it’s ok not to eat.  In fact periods of intermittent fasting, usually done overnight, are natural for the body and historically is one of the ways our ancestors maintained normal insulin and glucose function.  This doesn’t mean starving yourself is the solution, especially if you have any pre-existing hormonal imbalances.  Simply focus on eating 3 meals a day with adequate amounts of healthy fat and clean protein.  When you’re eating the right amounts of fat, protein and carbs you should be able to go 3-5 hours or more without feeling hungry.

Gluten free isn’t a license for unlimited gluten free carbs.
Going gluten free can help to reduce insulin resistance, unless you find yourself indulging in too many gluten free carb-based foods.  Even gluten free grains such as rice and quinoa and starchier vegetables such as potatoes pose a risk for insulin resistance.  Remember that overwhelming the body with too many sugar-rich or glucose-dense foods can lead to oversaturation in the cells.  This is where you might be “eating healthy” but not right for your body.  So dial back on the gluten-free carbs by replacing them with more fiber-rich foods such as leafy greens and cruciferous veggies.

High fat doesn’t mean high protein.
As you dial back on the gluten free and starchy carbs, you’ll likely lean towards a higher fat and protein diet, which has proven to be effective in most cases in reversing insulin resistance.  However, in some cases too much protein can spike blood glucose levels or overload the liver’s conversion responsibilities.  Incorporating more safe and healthy fats such as avocados, olive and coconut oil can balance the metabolic scale in the body reducing the need for as much protein while still keeping you satiated.  Eating fattier cuts of meat such as bacon, pork shoulder or butt, and dark meat chicken that are organic, hormone and nitrate free are also great ways to automatically balance this scale.

Alternate high intensity and resting endurance training.
Studies show that high intensity interval training (HIIT) AND low intensity endurance training both have positive impacts on reducing the mechanisms of insulin resistance.  If you think about it, this is the way in which our ancestors used to move.  They had periods of intense movement, when they were hunting or being hunted for example, and other times when movement was slow and long during times of migration.  Including both of these modes of movement and alternating them throughout the week will help your body utilize and replenish energy – aka glucose.  Hit the gym or do some HIIT training at home a few days a week, but also make sure to take some “resting endurance” days – simply walk for an extended period of time and optimize it after a period of intermittent fasting.

Reversing insulin resistance can take time, weeks or months even, but you should begin to notice little changes along the way as you begin to make changes to your diet and exercise routines.  Your energy will become more balanced, your sleep and brain function will improve and you’ll likely experience weight loss.

If you feel like insulin resistance might have you hung up, then I invite you to explore your body’s needs with me by scheduling a complimentary Ideal Health & Weight Discovery Session here