In an article published on Time.com, lack of sleep was shown to increase chances of overeating. In another Time.com article re-published through CNN, researchers actually linked diet to sleep patterns, showing that those who ate more slept less, and those who ate less slept more. This is a bit of a conundrum. For those of us with children, lack of sleep tends to become an issue, as well as those additional pounds we've packed on through pregnancies. It almost sounds like a no-win...but maybe not. Those who slept less were shown to consume less foods high in cancer-fighting antioxidants and drank less tap water. Normal sleepers (7-8 hours) showed more variation in their diets.
There seems to be a highly involved relationship between diet and sleep, with both having an effect on the other. Moms wanting to lose weight through better sleep might do well to focus on diet first:
- Increase foods high in cancer-fighting antioxidants
- Drink a healthy amount of water
- Consume less calories
Lack of sleep not only increases chances of being overweight, but it affects our mental health too.
Click here to read why getting help with depression is important to mothers
WebMD published an article on the link between depression and sleep. The findings suggest that sleep disorders may not cause depression, but lack of sleep can make it worse. Depression may also lead to overeating.
Bottom line: Eat well but eat less, and adopt good sleeping habits.
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