It was late at night, and as I lay in bed a thousand thoughts were going through my head. I had so much to do, and so little time. Finally, my eyes got drowsy and I was just about to fall asleep and my cell phone buzzed. Who would think of sending me a text message at this ungodly hour?
We’re living in a world which operates 24-7, that’s the new mantra. Twenty four hour cable television, the Internet, and cell phones all keep our brains stimulated. This has an adverse effect on our body. Additional causes of lack of sleep could be depression, anxiety, restlessness, noise, caffeine, alcohol etc. Poor health, fatigue, stress and weight gain are all results of lack of sleep. Here are some ways in which sleep affects weight loss.
Grehlin and Leptin are two hormones that assist the body to control appetite, weight gain and weight loss. While Grehlin is responsible for increasing the appetite, Leptin suppresses it. When you have a major problem due to lack of sleep, the levels of Grehlin increases which causes your appetite to increase. Thus irrespective of exercise and diet, sleep deprivation can cause weight gain.
Sleep loss also leads to deprivation of deep sleep – the kind of sleep that helps us to restore our energy levels. When we loose deep sleep, the levels of growth hormones decreases. These growth hormones help regulate the body’s proportions of muscle and fat in the body. When the hormones are reduced, the ability to grow muscle is reduced, and as a result, the ability to burn fat is reduced.
Another way sleep loss works against us, is that it prevents our bodies from metabolizing carbohydrates. This in turn leads to an increased storage of blood sugar levels as well as fat. An increase in the level of blood sugar can lead to insulin resistance and may even lead to major health concerns such as type II diabetes and obesity.
Lack of sleep equals lack of energy, which makes it even harder to exercise and burn calories.
There are many people who feel that just a few hours of shut eye are enough for them, and helps extend their day. However they are quite wrong about this notion. Getting a good night’s rest can actually increase your productivity in a shorter amount of time throughout the day because you now have more energy and can work harder.
If you’re finding it difficult to get sleep here are some things to keep in mind:
- Don’t eat just before going to bed. If you eat food that is high in protein right before going to bed, it makes your body active and thus disrupts your sleep
- If you have sleep problems, avoid sleeping in the afternoon
- Avoid having caffeine or alcohol right before bed.
- Eat healthy foods
- Try and add some physical activity in your daily life. This will make your body tired and you’ll be able to sleep better.
- Try and establish a routine, make it a habit to try and go to bed at the same time each night. Easier said than done, I know, but it will surely help you normalize your body clock.
Your body needs rest, and its best to pay heed to this call. Listen to what your body is saying about needing sleep, and keep in mind that oversleeping can be just as bad as less sleep. All said and done, its important that you understand how sleep is as important to you as eating right and exercising.
To your health,
Kim Duess
You-Be-Slim.com
Your Natural Weight Loss Solution
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