Who honestly wants a belly? No, we want the flat lean stomach or the chiseled six-pack. I tell my women when they complain about having a little junk in the trunk, not to worry. Holding weight in the abdomen is more than just appearances, it’s a sign of health as well. Found this perfect example of why and it goes with today’s topic (plus it emphasizes sleep): CORTISOL.
A major risk factor to increasing abdominal fat is the hormone cortisol.
Cortisol causes a redistribution of body fat to occur and cause an increase in
belly fat. The reason cortisol causes abdominal fat accumulation is because abdominal fat (both white and brown fat) has up to four times more cortisol receptors than fat in other parts of the body. Due to their receptors,
abdominal fat is very sensitive to the fat increasing effects of circulating cortisol. Belly fat tissue actually increases in size when it is exposed to cortisol. Suffice it to say, if you want to get lean, especially in the abdominal area, you have to control cortisol levels! Reducing stress and getting enough sleep every night can certainly help in managing cortisol levels to reduce fat storage in the abdomen region. In a study published in the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, researchers showed that
individuals who slept 7 hours or less a night had greater levels of cortisol in the afternoon then when they slept nine hours a night.
Cortisol is essential to the body. Why else would we have it? But we have a problem with balancing things. Go big or go home gets us in trouble. Being extremist is causing cortisol to remain high, as a result investigate the following chart:
Remember it’s all about balance: sleep, stress, exercise and diet.
