We all understand that we need a certain amount of sleep each night to function properly, rather than feeling like a zombie. While coffee can provide a temporary boost if you’re short on sleep, it only goes so far. If you’ve gone several days without at least seven or eight hours of sleep (a nod to my fellow parents—do you even remember what uninterrupted sleep feels like?), you know that many other functions start to falter beyond just energy levels. Lack of sleep can leave you feeling mentally foggy, slow your reflexes, and even make you feel hungrier—the list goes on. Missing out on sleep is stressful and can be dangerous, which only exacerbates the situation since stress can also lead to significant health issues. In fact, insufficient sleep or heightened stress can directly contribute to insulin resistance and weight gain—even if you’re eating well and exercising! So, does that mean that simply improving your sleep and lowering your stress levels can actually reverse insulin resistance? We’ll explore that shortly. We’ve done the research and gathered everything you need to know about how sleep and stress affect insulin resistance, along with the best ways to address these issues. But first, let’s discuss how this vicious cycle begins.
This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. Please read our disclosure for more information. So, does insulin resistance lead to stress and poor sleep, or do stress and lack of sleep contribute to insulin resistance? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t clear-cut, but the outcome is often a vicious cycle where lack of sleep increases insulin resistance, leading to further sleep disruptions, which in turn raises stress levels, affecting both sleep and insulin resistance… you get the idea. Many individuals with insulin resistance face insomnia and poor sleep quality, including night sweats, unstable blood sugar, and frequent urination (especially if you’ve developed type II diabetes). Insulin resistance and diabetes are also associated with depression and anxiety, both of which can add to stress and disrupt sleep. Studies have shown that even just one night of four hours of sleep can immediately decrease insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation, as well as increase triglycerides and stress hormones. So, while you may not know what triggered this vicious cycle for you, we do know that breaking the cycle is essential to reversing your insulin resistance.
Let’s start by examining how sleep relates to insulin resistance and what you can do to break the cycle by ensuring you get enough rest. Sleep is a challenging topic for many of us. The CDC reports that over 35% of Americans get less than seven hours (the recommended minimum) of sleep each night. Even if you’re sleeping for seven hours or more, you might not be getting quality sleep, which can be just as harmful as not getting enough sleep at all. If you find yourself in either or both of these categories, keep reading to learn how this affects your insulin resistance, what happens when you improve your sleep, and how to achieve that. Skipping sleep can lead to a range of issues. We all know the basics, like feeling grumpy or irritable, having slower reaction times, feeling clumsy, and struggling to retain new information. However, lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep also significantly impacts your health, including…
As mentioned earlier, insufficient sleep can directly cause insulin resistance and increase the stress hormone cortisol. It can also lower the hormone leptin, which signals fullness, and raise the hormone ghrelin, which triggers hunger. If you have sleep apnea, your risk of developing type II diabetes increases, regardless of your weight. In short, not getting enough sleep can turn you into a grumpy, insatiable snacker overnight, and all that extra glucose from those snacks will linger in your bloodstream, harming your health. This is where the cycle may begin for you, as people with insulin resistance often experience sleep disruptions due to unstable blood sugar levels, including: Pair all these issues with increased appetite and reduced impulse control, and it creates a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, you can enhance your insulin resistance simply by getting a good night’s sleep consistently. Here are our top tips for better sleep:
No, we don’t mean taking a shower (though that can help). Good sleep hygiene includes: You might also consider using a humidifier, especially if you often wake up with a stuffy nose, and/or an aromatherapy diffuser. Our minds and bodies thrive on routines, especially regarding sleep. Try to go to bed around the same time each night and avoid staying up late (even if you can sleep in the next day). This will help train your brain to expect sleep at a certain time and help you avoid late-night snacking. Sleep schedules work even better with a nightly routine—such as reading a book, meditating, enjoying some self-care like a cup of hot tea or a moisturizing face mask, or even a calming yoga session. This means no TV, cell phones, tablets, etc., during the hour before bed. If you must check your device, wear blue-blocking glasses or switch your device to night mode (which reduces blue light exposure). Simply moving more during the day can help you sleep better at night—and it’s one of the best ways to improve your insulin sensitivity! You don’t need to engage in intense exercise to reap these benefits. Walking for just 30 minutes a day at a moderate pace is enough to keep your heart healthy, burn through some glucose, and improve your sleep. Plus, you might even lose some weight in the process!
For better sleep, it’s best to exercise in the morning or afternoon—especially if you’re doing cardio or high-intensity workouts. If you need to work out later in the day, stick to low-impact, calming routines like yoga or gentle stretching to relieve any tight muscles before bed. If you’re struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, a natural sleep aid might help. Magnesium, melatonin, and valerian root are three common options. If you prefer not to take a pill, try a warm bath with Epsom salt for your evening dose of magnesium. Add a few drops of lavender oil for a perfect evening soak. The warm water and aromatherapy will help you relax and make it easier to drift off. If you’ve tried everything on your own and still can’t sleep well, it may be time to consult your doctor. You might need a prescription sleep aid temporarily to break the cycle, or you could have a more significant issue like sleep apnea, depression, or anxiety that requires professional help.
Even if you’re getting enough sleep, you might still be dealing with stress during the day—and that can be just as harmful as lack of sleep when it comes to insulin resistance. You probably already know that stress can lead to weight gain, especially around the waist. This is due to stress hormones like cortisol and glucagon, which were our ancestors’ survival mechanisms when food was scarce. These hormones break down glycogen, releasing stored glucose into your bloodstream for energy (since your brain perceives danger and wants to provide you with quick energy). If your stress levels remain high, it leads to nutrient breakdown and insulin resistance. Essentially, it signals your body to keep energy readily available and stop storing it for later, which means your body is hoarding glucose in your bloodstream and converting the rest into easily accessible fat. As mentioned earlier, stress also increases the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases the satiety hormone leptin—so your stress is fueling the insulin-sabotaging fire. Ultimately, stress leads you to eat more frequently while simultaneously releasing stored glucose back into your bloodstream.
I’m sure you can see where this is going, but I’ll say it anyway: Reducing stress can improve your insulin sensitivity. Now comes the challenging part: How do you actually reduce stress? In our fast-paced, often chaotic modern lives, stress can feel unavoidable. That’s why our goal isn’t to eliminate stress entirely, but to manage it and ideally change how we respond to stressful situations. Here are our best tips for addressing stress in your life: Meditation has long been a popular method for reducing stress levels. Practicing meditation helps you become aware of your body and thoughts, providing an opportunity to pause during the day. Deep, deliberate breathing during meditation can help you release tension and signal to your body that you are safe and can relax—reducing stress hormones. Even if you don’t have time for a full meditation session, simply being mindful of your thoughts, controlling your breathing, and releasing tension from your shoulders, stomach, and face can significantly lower stress.
As much as we love our phones, TVs, tablets, and other gadgets, they can add stress to our lives. Social media, in particular, can be draining, as it often elicits emotional reactions. Being bombarded with emotional information can be overwhelming, leading to stress-scrolling, arguing in comments, or simply losing track of time while hunched over a device. Try setting reminders or limits on your social media use, and reduce the time spent in front of screens. This will help lower stress, improve sleep, and reduce eye strain from blue light and small text. We’ve already discussed this, but it’s worth reiterating how crucial proper sleep is for reducing stress. Aim for at least seven hours each night and practice good sleep hygiene to ensure restful sleep.
Much of our mental stress manifests physically—from sore, tense muscles to strained necks and facial muscles, tension headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome; stress finds uncomfortable ways to settle in our bodies. Exercise is an excellent way to relieve tight muscles and release feel-good hormones—especially if you stretch or practice yoga. The abdominal stretches in yoga have been shown to stimulate the pancreas, helping it regenerate cells and repair damage caused by excessive insulin production. Yoga has also been proven to directly reduce insulin resistance by increasing insulin receptors, decreasing insulin binders, and improving blood glucose levels. Whatever exercise you choose, you’ll be burning glucose, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and counteracting stress hormones with endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin.
Diet is perhaps the most critical factor in reversing insulin resistance for various reasons—and stress levels are undoubtedly influenced by what you eat. A poor diet can contribute to stress by causing inflammation, weight gain, blood sugar spikes, poor digestion, mood swings, vitamin deficiencies, and more. Ensure your diet is rich in lean proteins, cruciferous vegetables, and healthy fats. You can also include low-glycemic fruits and whole grains, such as berries and oats. Avoid sugar and processed carbs as much as possible, and steer clear of so-called “healthy” boxed foods and pre-made meals; consider taking a daily multivitamin to fill any nutritional gaps. If you can’t seem to manage your stress levels, you may need to seek help from your doctor or a therapist. Your mental health is crucial not only for your peace and happiness but also for your physical health and immune system—both of which begin to deteriorate the longer you allow stress to go untreated.
Now that you understand the impact of sleep and stress on your health and weight, it’s time to create a plan to break the most dangerous part of the cycle: insulin resistance. Improving your insulin sensitivity is no easy task, and many people struggle with their weight and health for years because their bodies aren’t effectively absorbing glucose. The truth is, you have the power to reverse insulin resistance—but it will require significant dietary changes. If you’re hesitant to start a weight loss program because you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked (or worked for long), then this is definitely for you. Many of our clients felt the same way before starting our program—hopeless, exhausted, frustrated, and fed up with weight loss programs that don’t deliver results.
We created our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge for people just like you—those who feel like they’ve tried everything but can’t seem to lose weight or keep it off. Our challenge offers a step-by-step plan to help you lose up to 21 pounds in just 21 days, with far less effort than you might expect! Many of our clients have turned it into a lifestyle diet and have lost over 100 pounds with the challenge! The best part? In addition to weight loss, the 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge is designed to heal your gut, rebalance your hormones, and retrain your taste buds—so you’ll be able to maintain your weight loss! The Challenge is ideal for individuals with insulin resistance, as many of our clients have successfully reversed their insulin resistance through the program. If you’re ready to make changes in your life, this is the ONLY place to start. We’ll guide you on how to implement the necessary changes in your diet and lifestyle and how to sustain them “beyond the diet.” Take control of your life and start your 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge TODAY!
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