Prepare to Lose : Get enough Sleep

Prepare to Lose : Get enough Sleep

 

 

In a  2010 study, published  in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that getting enough sleep helps your body to regulate hunger and lose more weight from fat (instead of muscle).

 

The Canadian Medical Association Journal's 2012 article states that lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones.

 

 

Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleepand the clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health in Glendale, Ariz. states “It’s not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of sleep or good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly,”

 

Our bodies need, on average,  about 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night, he says. “If you are getting this already, another half hour will not help you lose 10 pounds, but if you are a five-hour sleeper and start to sleep for seven hours a night, you will start dropping weight.”

   

A lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight has a lot to do with our nightly hormones

The two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. “Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin,” Breus says. “Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.”

 More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain.

Breus says “You are eating more, plus your metabolism is slower when you are sleep-deprived,”

 

So prepare to lose by making sure you get at least 7.5 hours of sleep per night.


Tips for a Good Night's Sleep

 

Time Your Meals Eating late could be the cause of a restless night. Aim to have dinner at least two hours before you head to bed.

 

Develop A Routine It's important to  get your body on a sleep schedule- going to bed and rising at (appoximately) the same time) even on weekends. Maintain a consistent sleep-wake cycle

 

Skip The Naps Afternoon naps—if you feel you have to take one— limit it to less than 30 minutes. Anything longer than that might take away from your ability to get a good NIGHT'S sleep.

 

Make your bedroom your haven

Researchers suggest that the bedroom should be used for either sleep...or romance..and nothing else!

Piles of paperwork, computers, tv's all distract and confuse us

 

Make sure your bedroom is cool enough at night, and dark. NO tv or radio !

 

Find what works for you in terms of mattress, pillows and bedding. Pamper yourself!