Wellbeing

Sudden Weight Gain? These Could be the Reasons

Are you working out every day and still gaining weight? Does it bother you that you are keeping things in control yet unable to figure out the reasons behind the weight gain? It is a result of your lifestyle and related behaviours. You need to have proper meals and quality sleep to maintain a balance in the body.

It is normal to put on weight as you age because of the loss of muscle mass. However, if your weight is increasing and it does not make sense, you need to find out why.  You should consult your doctor and work out what could be causing the weight gain. This article discusses some reasons that may explain the increase in your body weight. 

Undiagnosed Medical Conditions

Lifestyle plays a vital role in keeping a person fit and healthy. However, some undiagnosed medical conditions can sometimes lead to a sudden increase in weight. There are many such conditions that you can look out for in such situations: 

  • Fibroids: These are common in women of reproductive age. A small growth on the uterus lining can grow into the size of a watermelon or stay so small that high image testing will help in detection. There is a direct connection between fibroids and weight gain; as the fibroid grows more prominent, it causes sudden weight gain. Apart from weight gain, women experience heavy bleeding, excessive cramps during periods, painful intercourse, etc. 
  • Hypothyroidism: It affects a person’s thyroid gland and may lead to a sudden increase in weight or cause difficulty in losing it. 
  • PCOS: It causes hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body that may cause insulin resistance leading to putting up weight. 

Several other medical issues, such as diabetes, fatty liver etc., result in a person putting on weight. 

Depression and Anxiety

Putting on weight and clinical depression are closely related because it acts in the brain. An oversimplified explanation states that depression and anxiety leave a person with little or no motivation to work out, increasing weight. Depression indeed results in loss of interest, but the process is not as simple as it sounds. 

It tends to interfere with your impulse control. As a result, people tend to grow heavier because of binge eating, bulimia, etc. Moreover, the medication used for curing depression and anxiety affects the appetite centre and reduces blood pressure. Unfortunately, you develop slow metabolism and increase weight. 

Insufficient Sleep 

Sleep is one of the essential factors in keeping fit and maintaining overall health. If you have recently acquired some weight and the reason is unexplained, you might want to recheck your sleeping schedule. Poor sleep cycle triggers increased weight among women. 

A study conducted among 92 women suggested that those who slept more than 6 hours had a lesser BMI than those who slept fewer than 6 hours. To improve your sleep cycle, you can reduce your screen time before bed, increase meditation and follow a set schedule for sleeping. 

Final Words 

It gets frustrating when you do every tad bit to keep healthy but still experience an unexplained increase in body weight. Lifestyle changes do not only consist of dietary and exercise changes. But you also need to focus on your sleeping schedule and keep a check on your mental, physical, and emotional health. Gaining weight can result from various factors, so it is better to consult your doctor to find out why.