Have you noticed the number on the scale slowly increasing even though nothing has changed with your eating and exercise? Or maybe you’ve tried countless diets and increased physical activity only to feel discouraged that you’re not losing weight?

While everyone’s weight management story looks different, one thing’s for sure: It can be frustrating 😒 and confusing to gain weight or struggle with weight loss when making a concerted effort to follow “expert advice”.

What many people fail to realize is the impact that hormones, sleep, and stress have on metabolism and the body’s ability to shed excess pounds. Weight management is MUCH MORE COMPLEX than “eat less and exercise more”, counting macros, or even intermittent fasting.

Keep reading to learn what may very well be the missing key 🗝 to your weight loss success! 💪

The Nervous System and Weight Gain: What’s the Connection?  

Did you know that your NERVOUS SYSTEM 🧠 plays a major role in your metabolic health and weight?

It happens to be a significant reason some people struggle to lose weight and gain inches around their waistline. Here are some ways in which a dysregulated nervous system can contribute to poor weight control:

❌ Hormonal Imbalances: The nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating hormone production and release. When the nervous system is dysregulated, it can disrupt the balance of hormones involved in metabolism, such as insulin, cortisol, and leptin. These imbalances can lead to metabolic dysfunction and an increased tendency to gain weight.

😫Increased Stress Response: Dysregulation in the nervous system can result in an exaggerated stress response, leading to chronic stress. During stressful situations, the body releases stress hormones like cortisol, which can influence metabolism and sleep quality. While cortisol is essential for our survival, chronically elevated levels of cortisol can have negative effects on the body, including changes in sleep, weight gain (especially around the waist), and stimulate appetite and cravings (particularly for high-calorie and sugary foods).

💥Impaired Sympathetic Nervous System Activity: If the sympathetic side of the autonomic nervous system is constantly activated from stress (emotional, physical or chemical), the body struggles to shift into a parasympathetic state where it needs to be to promote rest, digestion, and healing - which all contribute to healthy weight management.

The autonomic nervous system will not allocate resources to weight loss if you’re constantly in a stressed state. Think about it: If you’re running from a bear your autonomic nervous system is focused on short-term survival, not long-term growth. If you want to stop weight gain or improve weight loss efforts you need to lower your stress response and help your mind and body shift out of fight-or-flight mode into a parasympathetic state.

🍔Disrupted Hunger and Satiety Signals: The nervous system also plays a role in signaling hunger and satiety. When it is dysregulated, it can disrupt the communication between the brain and the digestive system, leading to altered appetite regulation. This can result in overeating or poor food choices, which can contribute to weight gain.

😴 Impaired Sleep Patterns: A dysregulated nervous system can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to inadequate or poor-quality sleep. Sleep deprivation and disturbances can affect the production and regulation of hormones involved in appetite control, such as ghrelin and leptin. As a result, individuals with a dysregulated nervous system may not get the appropriate signals that they are full or hungry, which can lead to overeating.

Learn more: Click here to read more about the shocking impact that inadequate sleep and increased cortisol levels have on your nervous system and weight.

How Chiropractic Aids in Healthy Weight Management

As you’ve now learned, a dysregulated nervous system plays a MAJOR role in how our body regulates hormones, sleep, and manages stress - which ALL impact metabolism and weight.

If you’re living with a nervous system that is not functioning well it WILL impact your ability to reach your health and weight loss goals. Thankfully, the solution to help relieve stress and subluxation (nerve interreference) in your nervous system is an easy fix: chiropractic care!

Every chiropractic adjustment helps restore balance and calm to the autonomic nervous system (shifting you out of survival mode) and restores neural communication pathways between the brain and body. As tension is released and communication lines are restored to their proper state, your hormones, sleep patterns, and ability to adapt to stress improve, which all work together to help you reach or maintain a healthy weight!

👍🏻If you haven’t been getting the results you want through diet, exercise, or other lifestyle changes, give chiropractic care a try! Take action now to restore your sleep, balance your nervous system, control your appetite and cravings, and reclaim your weight management goals!