Sleep and Weight Loss

December 17, 2011 · Filed Under Uncategorized · Comments Off 

Did you know that sleep loss can increase hunger and affect your metabolism in a way that makes weight loss even harder than it is? Therefore, you might want to add better sleep to your agenda along with good eating habits and exercise. Now that you know sleep and weight loss are related you can do something about it. First of all you need to find out why you’re losing sleep and what you can do to prevent it.

These are some of the top reasons we lose sleep, see if any of them pertain to you:

1. Caffeine

2. Light

3. Noise

4. Eating too close to bed time

5. Illness

6. Stress or anxiety

7. Alcohol

8. Depression

9. Hectic schedule

10. Stimulant medications ( diet pills, allergy or cold remedies etc.)

Most people don’t consider sleep and weight loss a factor when they’re trying to lose weight simply because it isn’t mentioned like dieting and exercise is. We all know that large portions, too much junk food and not enough activity are major contributions due to all the attention placed on these issues. With this new found knowledge you need to make an effort to find out the reasons you lose sleep and do something about it.

So far we’ve talked about what not to do. Now let’s find out what we CAN do. First of all it should be a no brainer but here you go: Eat a healthy diet. I know you hear this everyday, but do you do it? Here’s another good tip: Exercise regularly, 3-4 times a week and do it well before bedtime.  I like this one: Do something that relaxes you just before going to bed like listen to calming music, take a warm bath, or do some light reading. And don’t forget to  create a peaceful sleep environment, darken the room and make sure the room temperature is comfortable. Last, but not least, give yourself more sleep time instead of trying to fit in more activity.

Not enough sleep could be why so many Americans are over weight. Getting enough sleep is not the only answer, but it is part of the solution along with healthy eating and a fitness program. Most people need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep, some more some less, but few of us get the minimum 7. For best results  we should prepare ahead of time and set a regular time to go to bed.

Of course, there will be times you can’t get to bed early and you’ll lose sleep. You just can’t let it become a habit, sleep and weight loss are related so you need to commit to a nightly sleep routine no matter what. This might be the way that you lose the weight you’ve been wanting to lose for a years and haven’t been able to do it. And the best part is, sleep is FREE! Fighting fat with sleep, who would have thought?

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