The importance of a good night's sleep . . .

nightangelstars

I ran across this article while procrastinating on a paper :ohwell: , it made me wonder how many people on this site actually don't get enough sleep . . . God knows I don't. :grumble:

"Add a good night's sleep to your checklist of helpful weight-loss aids.

Sleep deprivation interferes with appetite-suppressing hormones, increases stress hormone levels, and decreases a person's glucose tolerance, all of which may contribute to weight gain. Another way sleep loss may help pile on the pounds: late-night munching. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day to help achieve sounder sleep.

Although more research is needed to confirm the link between sleep and weight, getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger and help improve your mood. Overweight and obese adults are more likely to report skimping on sleep compared to people with healthy body mass indexes. Expending more calories than you take in is the simple science behind any successful weight-loss program. The best way to do this is to eat a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and boost the amount of time you spend exercising. Other habits may boost your weight loss efforts or hamper them. For example, skimping on sleep negatively alters levels of hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism and appetite control, which may contribute to weight gain. And living a hectic, high-stress lifestyle may make it harder for you to focus on your health and may increase the likelihood that you'll make poor food choices and skip your exercise routine. Set yourself up for success by living a balanced lifestyle, in addition to balancing calorie intake and expenditure."

Here's the link: http://www.realage.com/ct/tips/2892

nightangelstars

I ran across this article while procrastinating on a paper :ohwell: , it made me wonder how many people on this site actually don't get enough sleep . . . God knows I don't. :grumble:

"Add a good night's sleep to your checklist of helpful weight-loss aids.

Sleep deprivation interferes with appetite-suppressing hormones, increases stress hormone levels, and decreases a person's glucose tolerance, all of which may contribute to weight gain. Another way sleep loss may help pile on the pounds: late-night munching. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day to help achieve sounder sleep.

Although more research is needed to confirm the link between sleep and weight, getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger and help improve your mood. Overweight and obese adults are more likely to report skimping on sleep compared to people with healthy body mass indexes. Expending more calories than you take in is the simple science behind any successful weight-loss program. The best way to do this is to eat a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and boost the amount of time you spend exercising. Other habits may boost your weight loss efforts or hamper them. For example, skimping on sleep negatively alters levels of hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism and appetite control, which may contribute to weight gain. And living a hectic, high-stress lifestyle may make it harder for you to focus on your health and may increase the likelihood that you'll make poor food choices and skip your exercise routine. Set yourself up for success by living a balanced lifestyle, in addition to balancing calorie intake and expenditure."

Here's the link: http://www.realage.com/ct/tips/2892

joanne123

thats very interesting and I'll be keeping this in mind. I am so puzzled why I am not losing weight so I'll try anything. I seem to be well within the set calories and doing plenty of exercise but why are the pounds not shifting? If more sleep is the answer then I'll try it. I am pretty sure I am not getting enough.

nightangelstars

Well, it can't hurt! If nothing else, you'll feel better, right? Also are you watching your measurements as well as your weight? You could be putting on muscle if you're working out which is offsetting your fat loss . . . just an idea. Good luck getting those Z's, I'm gonna try too!

banks1850

A side note to that, sleep is ULTRA important if your doing weight training. Sleep is when your body does most of it's "repair" work. The reason it's important for weight training is that when you work a muscle group (when you feel that burn the next day) you are actually creating micro-tears in the muscle fiber, and the body is really repairing that muscle tissue, actually adding to it to fill in the gaps, which adds additional muscle and makes them stronger (the more muscle the stronger you get). Toneing is similar in that your body goes through a similar process, but it is generally repairing smaller tears and therefore you get denser muscle instead of more, I.E. better tone...etc. The reason certain groups get "toner" instead of bigger (I.E. your abs) is because your body has genetic, prebuilt limits on how much it should grow, therefore it will just become toner and toner.

Hope this helps.