Use a Sleep Mask for Deeper Sleep – and Even Weight Loss?
New research is showing something very surprising. If you sleep with a light on, even a light that's so dim that you can't read by it, it triggers your adrenaline (sympathetic nervous system) to stay stimulated during sleep. And one of the reasons for nonrestorative sleep in CFS and fibromyalgia is the nervous system being stuck in the high adrenaline mode during sleep.
Meanwhile, being stuck on adrenaline mode during sleep triggers what is called insulin resistance. Translated to English, it causes weight gain. So this may be just one more cause of the average 32 ½ pound weight gain seen in CFS and fibromyalgia.
This suggests that wearing a sleep mask to blackout ambient light during sleep can make your rest more restorative. And maybe even help shed a few pounds!
Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. is one of the world's leading integrative medical authorities on fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. He is the lead author of eight research studies on their effective treatments, and has published numerous health & wellness books, including the bestseller on fibromyalgia From Fatigued to Fantastic! and The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution. His newest book (June 10, 2024) is You Can Heal From Long COVID. Dr. Teitelbaum is one of the most frequently quoted fibromyalgia experts in the world and appears often as a guest on news and talk shows nationwide including Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN, and Fox News Health.
