Sunday, November 25, 2007

How often do you sleep?

If you’re not getting enough sleep you have a higher risk of obesity.
Even though we burn more calories when we’re awake we also eat more. So it kinda counters itself. Lack of sleep also raises levels of grehlin, a hormone that makes you want to eat.
Losing sleep alters your metabolism in a way that helps you gain weight. Not only that, but not getting enough sleep makes it harder for a person to lose weight.

“Researchers from the University of Chicago Sleep Lab found that too little sleep over just a few consecutive days caused an increase in the appetite-stimulating hormones in the body and caused volunteers to crave more food.”-- the.honoluluadvertiser.com


Some ways to fight this problem:
1)Have your last meal 2 hours before going to bed. But don’t go to bed hungry. (If you’re doing the 3-4 hour plan then this should work out perfectly for you)

2)Exercise regularly (heh, what a coincidence). Don’t work out before bed. (if you do your exercises at night. Make sure its at least 2 hours before going to bed)

3)Don't have caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime. (We’re supposed to be cutting back on those anyway. Have some water or warm milk (with honey if you want) instead.)

4)Don't smoke. Nicotine can interfere with sleep. (And its bad for your lungs, teeth, and makes aerobic exercises a major chore.)

5)(one of my biggest problems) If you can’t fall a sleep and your not tired at all, get out of bed and go into another room. Do something relaxing for about 30 minutes or until sleepy.

And finally, get at least 7 hours of sleep a day/night. Anything less then that and your chances of obesity increase.

1 comment:

Brooklyn said...

I don't know about the other factors but please exercise before 2-3hrs before going to bed. Don't do a heavy workout, do some stretches thats it.