Haven’t been sleeping well for months? Then you might notice your jeans feel a little tighter. As science uncovers more about the links between appetite, hormones, rest and stress, it’s becoming clear that a spike in the scales can be caused by multiple life factors.

Even if you’re a meditating, macrobiotic, morning jogger, other less obvious lifestyle habits could still be causing you to add on the kilos. The following hidden weight traps may be completely slipping under your radar and leading to unexpected weight gain in unexpected ways.

1. A spare tyre from stress

“Tension is what you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” —Chinese proverb

Too wired to sleep? Living on the run? All that stress can give you a jelly belly and not just from exhaustion making you hungrier. “When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release a hormone called cortisol, which makes you store fat in case of famine,” says David-Cameron Smith, Associate Professor in Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University in Melbourne.

“This fat gain can become concentrated in your most active fat cells around the abdomen, which are highly sensitive to stress hormone receptors. Fat storage here is the most dangerous because it drains quickly to the liver, combining with cholesterol to enter your bloodstream, increasing your risk of heart disease down the track.”

Health tips: Kick back a little more (yes, you can find the time). Snatch one five-minute break every hour — even if you just stretch or close your eyes. Better still, block out half an hour quality me-time every day to read a book, listen to music or sit under a tree in the park (no, it doesn’t count if you’re sitting under the swaying branches stressing about work or your mortgage).

Engage in daily meditation or progressive relaxation (systematically tense and relax all the muscles in your body while breathing slowly and deeply). Do some exercise to boost the release of brain chemicals called beta-endorphins, which improve mood and promote calm. Finally, minimise foods such as caffeine, sugar and alcohol, which cause a spike in adrenal stress chemicals such as cortisol.

2. Slumber blunders

“The beginning of health is sleep.” — Irish proverb

Sleeping less than six hours a night can cause a 40 per cent drop in sensitivity to insulin, which bumps up your risk of weight gain and diabetes type 2, according to research at the University of Chicago. This reduced insulin response occurred in otherwise lean and healthy young men and women after only three nights of less sleep. Don’t underestimate the fall-out. Studies suggest that people who sleep five hours or less a night weigh more, particularly in middle age.

Health tips: Turn your bedroom into a sleep shrine complete with calming scents (eg a sprinkling of lavender oil on your pillow), candlelight before bed and heavy curtains to signal to your body that it’s rest time. Improve your sleep routine by rising and retiring at the same time each day. Don’t exercise, drink caffeine or eat a large meal after 8pm, as this can cause alertness later when you should be in the land of nod. Avoid alcohol, which can interrupt the sleep cycle, and make sure you remove distractions such as television and cats. Suffering insomnia? Try slow, rhythmic breathing and visualisation when you slip between the sheets.