How to Prevent Holiday Stress
If the Holidays Make You Feel Overwhelmed (and Cause Weight Gain), These 9 Tips Will Help
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If you regularly get less than seven hours of sleep per night, your body will produce increased amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone. Not only will you feel more irritable and tired, but "when our body is under stress, its priority is very clearly for us to survive," says Christine Hansen, FDN-P, CSSC, nutritional therapist with Sleep Like a Boss. She explained that cortisol makes our bodies go into emergency mode, triggering processes to store fat so that we have reserves to draw on.
Not only that, but lack of sleep also increases the hunger hormone grehlin, which increases cravings so you eat more and can lead to weight gain. Marci suggested aiming for at least seven hours a night.