In this episode, you’ll learn 15 tips to get better sleep after age 50. But really these tips work no matter your age.

Sleep is one of the most overlooked aspects of weight loss and disease prevention. If your sleep is chronically compromised, then your metabolism might be too.

In his book Outlive, Dr. Peter Attia states that, “Sleep researcher Eve van Cauter of the University of Chicago subjected healthy young people to severely restricted sleep, just 4.5 hours a night, and found that after four days they had the elevated insulin levels of obese middle-aged diabetics and, worse yet, approximately a 50 percent reduction in their capacity for glucose disposal. This turns out to be one of the most consistent findings in all of sleep research. No fewer than nine different studies have found that sleep deprivation increases insulin resistance by up to a third.”

Compounding the insulin resistance issue, poor sleep and stress go hand in hand. Higher stress levels can make us sleep poorly, as we all know, but poor sleep also makes us more stressed.

It’s a feedback loop. Both poor sleep and high stress activate the sympathetic nervous system. This causes an increase in cortisol.

And thus blood sugar and insulin. Higher insulin levels drive more fat storage and make weight loss difficult.

Aside from this rise in cortisol, poor sleep increases hunger and reduces satiety, having a double-edge sword against weight loss.

So a cornerstone in any weight loss or health program should be to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Research also shows that good sleep in middle age is especially important for presenting cognitive decline later in life.

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Resources From This Episode

>> Join Zivli

>> Freebie: Weight Loss Mindset Audio Training

>> Insulin Resistance Diet Starter Course

>> Weight Loss Mindset Tips Playlist

>> Episode: How to Sleep Better - Part 1 With Valerie Cacho, MD

>> Episode: How to Sleep Better - Part 2 With Valerie Cacho, MD