Quality sleep for weight loss

When was the last time you had a really good night's sleep? For optimal health the answer should be every night. However we sometimes struggle to sleep well or to get enough sleep. We toss and turn as we mull over problems and try to create solutions. We don't get enough sleep because we either stay up too late or have to get up too early, or both.

People who sleep 7 - 9 hours a night have healthier body weights than those who get less sleep.  Sleep or lack of it affects weight gain and loss.

When we don't get enough sleep it affects our fat loss hormones and causes us to crave comfort food. The less sleep we get, the more hunger-inducing hormone ghrelin we produce. We also produce less leptin, which is an appetite-suppressing hormone. It only takes lack of sleep for 2 nights to impact our hormones and start to affect our weight.

Lack of sleep can also lead to increased cortisol levels and make us less insulin resistant. Both insulin and cortisol are released when we are stressed and meant to assist us for short bursts of stress, such as being chased by a sabre-tooth tiger or taking a driving test. When produced for longer periods these hormones reduce our immune system and affect the chemistry of our cells causing weight gain. The prevent fat loss and can cause weight gain.

And that's not all. Insufficient sleep can have poor health outcomes in other areas.

Here are a few ways that we can enjoy enough sleep for a healthier and happier life:

• Switch off at least 20 minutes before going to bed. Turn off the computer, mobile phone and the television, and definately do not have a TV in the bedroom. It may seem as though it is relaxing however it doesn't allow our brains to slow down and prepare for sleep. Once in bed, try reading a book or keep a dairy about your experiences and feelings.
• Make your room dark enough. If the curtains don't black out all the light there are some very lovely eye shades that block out the light. Bedside clocks that illuminate the time can be covered up or turned to the wall. 
• Work out how much sleep is right for your body. Some people need 7 - 8 hours and other people need 8 - 9 hours. 
• Keeping consistant hours also improves sleep, so it is better for us to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time in the morning. When having a lie-in, we should only have an hour.
• One night of poor sleep can take up to a week to recover from, so we should try and only stay up late once a week or even less for optimal health and weight.
• A nana nap in the afternoon can do wonders for us if we have had insufficient sleep the night before or had to get up early. However it should only be a 20 minute nap so that we don't get into a deep sleep.
• Keep cool. Over heating the bed or ourselves can delay the onset of sleep as our bodies need to cool down to sleep.

Enjoy feeling and experiencing the benefits of sufficient sleep.

warmest wishes
Sarah