The old saying, "get your beauty sleep" is pretty accurate. Sleeping does make you beautiful. If you do not get enough sleep you not only get tired but you tend to gain weight!
There are two hormones in your body called gherlin and leptin that play a large role in your feelings of hunger and fullness. Sleep helps to regulate those hormones. If you do not get enough sleep you will very likely feel hungrier due to their imbalance.
Also the feeling of tiredness and hunger often get confused in your brain. You may think you are hungry when in fact you are tired. So getting enough sleep controls your appetite.
There is another hormone, your growth hormone, which is released during sleep. That hormone is responsible for developing your muscles. Muscles are hungry tissue. You burn more calories during the day and night if you have good muscle development. Getting enough sleep increases your metabolism allowing you to burn more calories.
Sleep affects how you looked, feel and perform daily tasks. Sleep has a major impact on your life!
How much sleep should you get? According to most current studies seven to nine hours is what you need. It is important to get the full seven to nine hours and not to break up your time. Your body goes through several important stages that can not be accomplished by sleeping several short periods.
You can nap during the day. A short nap can help you deal with stress and give a boost of energy. Often a nap can help you to avoid over eating. Napping should not replace your regular sleep. A nap should be twenty to thirty minutes. Longer naps leave you feeling groggy not refreshed. Avoid napping late in the afternoon because taking late naps can make it difficult to sleep at night.
I realize life is not black and white, some nights you struggle to sleep. On those nights get up and do something relaxing until you feel tired and then go back to bed. The old stay in bed and count sheep routine does not often work.
Here are some tips to help you get your sleep:
Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening. They can all cause sleeping problems.
Exercise regularly but allow three hours of calm before you go to sleep. Late night exercising can keep you up. You need to wind down after you exercise.
Establish a regular bedtime behavior pattern. Turn down the lights and relax ten or fifteen minutes before you go to bed. You can have warm milk or take a warm bath, anything that calms you and lets your body start to wind down.
Avoid the computer, the television and doing work just before bed. You want to slow your thoughts down not reeve them up.
Keep your room at a comfortable temperature. Crack a window if need be. You can get window locks at your local hardware store to keep your home safe while you are sleeping.
Investing in a good bed is money well spent. Go out and lay on several beds until you find the one that you just have to have.
Limit the amount of water you drink late at night so you are not up going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Keep your food intake low late at night. Eating a big meal and then going to bed can keep you up because your body is working at digesting your food instead of taking time off to do its other night-time tasks.
Sleeping is a very important part of life. It often does not get on the high priority list for many people. It should be at the top of your list! Not only will you tend to gain weight but your ability to think clearly and enjoy life is limited if you go through life tired.
Your fitness expert
Lynn www.getrealfit.org
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