From a personal Trainer: Sleep more, lose fat

fatguyweightloss

any recommendations on how to sleep better? i go to bed at 9PM every night (usually takes me about 15-20 minutes to fall asleep) but i have noticed that i wake up almost 5-10 times a night (length of time varies). i never get a solid night's sleep. any suggestions???

Check out the book Lights Out by T. S. Wiley. One suggestion from it is to not watch TV, use computer, cell phone an hour before you go gto sleep. Also ensure you bedroom is as dark as possible.

Also can go with supplements such as a dose of Mg couple hours before bed.

Zbigniew1

Regarding tips on better sleep, I'll just copy/paste something I wrote earlier:

Many of us are to some extend sleep-deprived, and we know it, but don't do much about it and/or neglegect it.
The main problem here is actually that our bodies are very good at adapting. If we on average get 1-2 hours less sleep than we should, we may feel tired the first couple of days, but then the body adapts and even though we may only function on 70-80% of our full capacity, our bodies accept this as the default state, and it becomes the new normal.

One place it is very obvious is when flying. I often hear people say something along the lines of "I don't have a sleep problem. I can sleep everywhere". Exactly! You are not supposed to be able to sleep everywhere! Especially not in a crammed and illuminated airplane seat in the middle of the day, where there is noise, people are walking past, etc. If you had enough sleep during the night, then you generally should have no problems being awake, not be drowsy or even considering sleeping. (Taking a short nap or getting some rest/meditation, maybe with a mask or earplugs in is another thing).

The above becomes very obvious if we a couple of days in a row actually get enough sleep and suddenly feel very energetized and are able to accomplish much more than before. I guess most of us have tried this :-)


Personally, I have been doing evening and night shifts for many years, and now I suddenly find myself having to get up 0630 7 days a week. I am trying to get to bed at 2200, which leaves me with half an hour to fall asleep in and 8 hours of sleep. If I am naturally waking up before 0630 - sure, no problem. I can go about my business and start my day.

To get the most out of my sleep, I am:

- Using F.lux (I am not sure that I can post links here, so Google it) to make my computer colors warmer, according to the time of the day. Often working late in Word or Excel, this is a god-send.
Quote from their website: "During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun."

- Getting as much light in the day as possible, and as much dark in the night as possible. I use a black out curtain, and shut of all LEDs on a main switch so that my bedroom is pitch black when I go to sleep. If I put a hand in front of my face, I am not able to see it.

- In conjunction with the above, HELLO DIMMER SWITCHES! Again, dimming the light in the evening simulates the sun, and your body prepares to go to sleep.

- Using a Wake-up light instead of an alarm-clock. It is a large light which slowly turns on the light, mimicking the rising of the sun for 20 minutes before a very nice and soft alarm sound goes off. I usually wake up at some point during the 20 minutes. Only if I am really really tired, I am only waking up when the sound goes off. No more waking up stressed with my heart pounding to a MEEP MEEP MEEP sound in a dark room, Yay! Waking up like that was needed when our caveman forefathers had a tiger roaring at them 3 feet away from them. I can't imagine why people today would start the day that way voluntarily 5 days a week for 50 or so years. It probably does not do wonders for your blood pressure...

_Christine_

No more waking up stressed with my heart pounding to a MEEP MEEP MEEP sound in a dark room, Yay! Waking up like that was needed when our caveman forefathers had a tiger roaring at them 3 feet away from them. I can't imagine why people today would start the day that way voluntarily 5 days a week for 50 or so years. It probably does not do wonders for your blood pressure...

YES!! When I had to wake at 4:30AM for my old job I had that stupidly loud alarm. It got to the point where I'd try to turn it off before the horrible sound started... sometimes falling back to sleep. I bought an alarm with nature sounds and the radio as an option. So much nicer. No more waking up mad.

KrisyKat

A cup of Celestial Seasonings "Sleepytime Tea" really relaxes me before bed. But, drinking any decaf tea can help put your body into "drowsy" mode. Here are some great flavors to try...

http://tattookitty.hubpages.com/hub/10-Terrific-Teas-Worth-trying

If all else fails, I'm known to sneak a serving of Nyquil to bring on the "drowzees." I only do this once in awhile, as it is probably not healthy, but does work wonders! :yawn:

l_oudman

Sleep, I can do that!!

MaryGebhard

Natural Vitality's Naturally Calm supplement is really helpful for me. It is basically magnesium citrate, which a lot of people lack. I saw it discussed on a little web short about how to get better sleep (it was a problem for me), and so I ordered some online (the lemon-raspberry flavor). I really like it, and it seems to have done the trick. I sleep deeply now, about 7 to 8 hours a night. If you have kidney problems or are on any meds, I would recommend talking to your dr about the supplement first, and don't take too much (mainly because it acts as a laxative when you do!). But if you are suffering from insomnia, it might be just the thing for you!

I'm going to try this. I haven't slept well for years. Hope it works.

emyishardcore

I sleep 8-9 hours. I usually try to go to sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6-7am

huntindawg1962

Makes a nap sound great right about now

Makes sense as the body does a LOT while you sleep in the restoration process.

thistimeismytime

Sorry, what was that? I nodded off.... ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz ;D

tuneses

Wish I had the luxury of sleep.

Spanaval

I'd love to be able to get 8 hours sleep a night but my baby doesn't agree & hes nearly 2 (

Same here, except mine is over two.

coconutbuNZ

I do have sleeping problems and I agree, it definitely contributes to weight gain.

cmeade20

great! i wake up every day at 5AM for work, so i try to get to sleep earlier so i'm not so tired. i do stress a lot (work.. not as much as i used to though!), and i never nap anymore. i'm very intrigued in learning better practices for sleeping!

Try taking melatonin? Maybe your brain isn't producing enough

meeulk

I'd love to be able to get 8 hours sleep a night but my baby doesn't agree & hes nearly 2 (

same!

skydivelife

Also been noted in the popular press and personally myself, that the less sleep you get, the more prone you are to eating more, especially sugary, high carb things, I guess in some effort to keep awake and to feel better. That can certainly contribute to weight gain and less fat loss. I personally have to take sleeping pills to sleep, as I have had problems with anxiety for years and years and got fed up of laying there getting more and more angry and frustrated.

I generally get between 7 and 8 hours, and notice I feel a lot fatter and heavier when I have less than that.

Hey! Have u ever tried melatonin? It's the ONLY sleep aid with no documented side-effects or addictive qualities.

prettygirlhoward

bump

BeautyFromPain

As someone who used to sleep 7-8 hours straight and was losing a lot of weight but now I keep waking up at least 5 times per night and I'm not losing much weight :S it does make sense. Thankyou.