Get In Between the Sheets: Sleep is the New Sexy

How to Lose Weight & Feel Great With Sufficient Sleep

Happy New Year!

Are you looking to lose weight? Do you get enough sleep? Surprisingly, these two are more intertwined than you might think.

Get this: If you sleep fewer than 7 hours a night, you’re 41% (yes, read that again) more likely to be obese. In fact, individuals who sleep less also tend to eat about 385 calories more per day—that’s an extra 140,525 calories per year (To put this in perspective, even more, that’s about 140 pounds of fat).

 Other research also links a lower sleep duration with a higher waist circumference, which suggests higher belly (visceral) fat. Now, you might already know that belly fat is a huge risk factor when it comes to chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic issues (more on this in a minute).

So, why does this happen? What the heck does sleep have to do with weight gain or loss? And how is it interfering with your health?

Well… Ever notice when you had a bad sleep, you end up combating cravings all day? Maybe you just can’t get that chocolate donut out of your head.

You aren’t alone.

The New York Post reported that you can blame your sugar cravings on a lack of sleep! It’s actually a pretty big societal problem. Many people work late and eat late. Sleep gets pushed down our list of priorities, often coming last compared to other aspects of our life.

And what happens here is that our hormones get thrown completely out of whack, particularly the ones involved in regulating appetite and meal timing.

When you’re sleep deprived, your body’s grhelin levels go up, so you’re hungrier. On top of this, leptin levels go down, meaning the hormone involved in regulating your body’s food intake versus energy expenditure doesn’t get a chance to shine. The inevitable happens… weight gain. We end up eating more calories than we use.

But getting a good night’s rest consistently can keep all of this in check. You don’t need to waste tons of money on expensive workout programs or meal plans. Instead, nail down the affordable basics, like sleep, first.

Plus, when we don’t sleep well, we just don’t do life well either. We get sick. We don’t live as long as we could. We experience brain fog and cognition impairments. Our metabolism (thanks to our hormones) gets thrown off. We just end up feeling “meh.” And no one wants to feel that way! (I think we can all agree here.)

A big problem I see is that the regular doctors visits don’t cut it. Rarely do doctors ask about sleep. When was the last time your doctor asked? Or if they did ask, did they address it? How?

Well, here’s another twist: Medication often isn’t the answer. Sure, it has its place. But if you aren’t doing the basics when it comes to sleep, that’s where we should start.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time. 
• Perform a relaxing bedtime routine 1-2 hours before bed. 
• Avoid screens 1-2 hours before bed. 
• Sleep in a dark, quiet, and cool room.

These are the basics.

Taking it to another level… What other medications are you on? Sometimes, these can interfere with sleep, causing you to fall into the pit of despair.

Luckily, you can easily figure out if you’re nailing the foundations of sleep through wearable technology, like smart watches and the Oura Ring. These devices will break down your sleep habits, helping you understand what’s going on and where you can make improvements.

Many of these devices even track your HRV, showing how well you’re recovering as you sleep and helping you determine what activities you should perform the next day. They can also offer tips to improve REM or deep sleep, if these aren’t up to par. It will also show you how often you wake up each night. All useful data points that you can work with!

For instance, if you notice you’re REM sleep plummet when you have two glasses of wine within a couple of hours before bed, well, this is probably a good sign that those two glasses of wine aren’t helping you wind down like you think. In fact, they are definitely interfering with your sleep cycles if you lack REM sleep.

Want to get your sleep foundations on track? Join our next focus group January 26th at 7pm EST. Respond to this email if you're interested in attending and we'll get you all the details!

HEAL WOMEN... HEAL THE WORLD... HEAL COMMUNITIES.

Upcoming News: 

Did you download your FREE FemTech Wellness Guide?

Let’s work together to re-balance your hormones the integrative way! What do I mean by that? I chose to work with women the way I always envisioned it when I was in medical school and training. The whole person — your mind, body, and soul. Sure, I understand the problem, and yes, I have a solution, but what is your strategy if it’s not catered to you? Personalized to you. Created for you.

When you take an individualized approach that keeps your natural biology in mind, yet weaves the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual parts of what you do with evidence-based tools and resources, you can achieve optimal health and healing.

HEAL WOMEN. HEAL THE WORLD.

I want to partner with you. It’s time to invest in your NOW and WHAT’s NEXT. Investing in your health is one of the best things you can do. It spills over into all other aspects of your life. And guess what, like hormones, women are a part of every life cycle and human experience. It starts with us as we heal ourselves; it reaches out to our communities, our businesses, and the global world around us.

How can I help? My team and I created Wearable Tech and Women's Health 2023: The Ultimate FemTech Guide.

Get The FREE Ultimate FemTech Guide HERE

This is an in-depth guide that will help you understand how to optimize your health using wearable tech you already own (and some you may have just gotten for Christmas!!).

Gain insight beyond the cookie cutter, to learn how to use Femtech to improve your health and your life! The guide offers answers to:

• Have you ever wondered what do you do with all the functions on your smartwatch or new app?
• How can your new Christmas gadget help you get over or prevent a health scare?
• How can my wearable device help me navigate my current health condition?
• What should I follow in my metrics....what's so dang important about HRV?
• Is counting steps still necessary?
• And much more!

Already have the guide? Awesome! Hope it's working for you. Connect with me by booking a Manage Your Hormones Now Call for FREE to take the next steps in your health journey for 2023. The time is right NOW to take a personalized approach to tackling your health goals and it STARTS with managing your hormones.

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3 Tips During Cervical Health Awareness Month

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. This month strives to keep women in the know regarding what they should do when it comes to their cervical health. So, what are a few things you should know?

1. Get regular cervical cancer screenings. The good news: Cervical cancer is one of the most treatable cancers there is! But… you have to get regular screenings done to ensure it’s caught early. Most women already do this at their regular doctor's check-up. Yup, it’s that regular pap smear! This should be done every one to three years, with certain women requiring more frequent testing (such as those with a health or family history of cervical cancer).
2. Consider vaccination. Yes, I know this can be a touchy subject. But in the spirit of awareness: There is an HPV vaccine that can prevent many harmful types of HPV that may lead to cervical cancer. It’s recommended girls receive this vaccine between the ages of 11 and 26.
3. Don’t forget about safe sex. Yes, no matter what age you’re at! STDs don’t necessarily discriminate by age. And STDs, like HPV, are more likely to lead to cervical cancer. So… taking care of your cervical health also has a serious element of protection when it comes to getting down and dirty.

Stay in the know! Share this information with the girls and women in your life. Information truly is power!

Sincerely,

Dr LaReesa

Integrative GYN

Menopause Health Expert

Physician Founder, The Estrogen Doctor Company

P.S. Don't feel ready to dive deep yet but know someone who is? Share this email with a friend to enrich the health of the women in your circle. Our deep dive starts with a Manage Your Hormones Call, fill out this form to learn more today!