I'm not a huge fan of our media's obsession with the diet and exercise habits of supermodels and ultra-thin actresses. So often, the topic just puts me to sleep. Which brings us to the topic at hand: Recently, Jennifer Aniston gave an interesting answer when Allure magazine asked her secret for staying so youthful and healthy at age 42. Her response wasn't the Zone diet, or yoga, or Pilates. Instead, her answer was, quite simply: Sleep.
Wake up!
We're used to hearing about the importance of sleep. Everyone knows the old "8 hours per night" rule. But in the race of everyday life, eight hours of sleep is, quite frankly, a dreamy luxury. Between kids, work, errands, cooking, and hopefully a little bit of exercise, we're all forced to cut corners here and there. And often that means cutting back on much-needed rest time.
So let's talk about the science of sleep. Read on, and don't fall asleep...not yet anyway:
Benefits of a Good Night’s SLEEP
Sleep and Slim
So getting a good night's sleep might not turn you into Jennifer Aniston overnight. But it might just be the key to your weight loss success. Here's the connection: When you are sleeping, your body is busy balancing out hormones - all kinds of hormones. Two of those hormones, namely ghrelin and leptin, are vitally important to losing weight...or gaining it. These two hormones alert your body to eat (ghrelin) or not to eat (leptin). When you are sleep-deprived, your body churns out more ghrelin, which means your body is telling you to eat more. And we all know what happens then.
And there's more: When you sleep less, your metabolism drops. So now you're playing double jeopardy. Not only do you have the raging ghrelin hormone demanding that you eat more sugary, calorie-laden foods, but you also have a metabolism drop off. Two plus two equals you're going to gain weight, all because you're not sleeping enough.
Sleep and Smile
We all know someone who proudly proclaims, "I'm not a morning person!" Maybe the reason so many of us aren't "Morning People" is because we're not sleeping. Sleep messes with every physiological function in the body. When your body undergoes the kind of trauma of sleeplessness, it starts to short-circuit. Some of the first wires to fray are those of your overall health, general mental processing, and the stability of your emotions.
Commonsense tells us that a good night of sleep gives us a better tomorrow, but a bit of scientific corroboration drives this point home. The sleep-deprived human body responds to the deprivation by releasing a torrent of stress hormones, amping up the blood pressure, and contributing to major heart problems. The sleep-deprived body produces less melatonin, reducing estrogen levels, and producing a predisposition to breast cancer. Lack of sleep slowly erodes the immune system, making you vulnerable to a mere whiff of the cold, flu, or any other infection.
Your mind works only as well as you're sleeping. In other words, less sleep creates loss of mental ability in areas like language processing, creative thinking, reflexive behavior, impulse control, attention-span, visual recognition, and judgment. I know it sounds kind of blunt, but the less you sleep, the dumber you become. The only reversal to this mental decline is more sleep. The better your mind functions, the more happy you are. Increased mental capacity produces higher levels of confidence, hope, and accomplishment. So it's simple: Sleep more. Smile more.
TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP
Nearly 70% of women do not sleep the recommended eight hours per night. Most women are getting closer to five hours of sleep. So, here are some quick tips for sleeping better.
Exercise. The number one solution for getting better sleep (and more of it) is exercise. Exercise tires the body sufficiently to get a great night of rest. Exercise also helps to reduce stress, which contributes to better sleep. Basically, exercise is an amazing fix to a whole lot of sleep disorders and insomnia. But try not to schedule your workout too late in the evening, while exercise helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle, the stimulation that comes from a workout in the three hours before bedtime may cancel the benefits.
Eat well. What you eat has a huge effect on how you sleep. A balanced diet full of nutritious goodies and low on sugary snacks is a wonderful recipe for a great night's sleep. Carbs help your brain use tryptophan, an amino acid that causes sleepiness, and proteins help your body build tryptophan, so if you need a light bedtime snack try peanut butter on toast or low-fat cheese and crackers.
Have the right sleep stuff. No, we're not talking about sleeping pills or Tylenol PM. A good night is about the proper environment. Your best sleep occurs in a dark, cool and quiet room, shut off from distractions. A cool bedroom lowers your core body temperature, which initiates sleepiness. What's the ideal thermostat setting? It varies from person to person, but try 65 degrees to start and then adjust, if necessary. A comfortable mattress and pillow are also very important. For a sounder sleep, sprinkle some lavender. Try a few drops of essential oil on a cloth and slip it under your pillow or iron pillowcases with lavender scented water.
So let's talk about the science of sleep. Read on, and don't fall asleep...not yet anyway:
Benefits of a Good Night’s SLEEP
Sleep and Slim
So getting a good night's sleep might not turn you into Jennifer Aniston overnight. But it might just be the key to your weight loss success. Here's the connection: When you are sleeping, your body is busy balancing out hormones - all kinds of hormones. Two of those hormones, namely ghrelin and leptin, are vitally important to losing weight...or gaining it. These two hormones alert your body to eat (ghrelin) or not to eat (leptin). When you are sleep-deprived, your body churns out more ghrelin, which means your body is telling you to eat more. And we all know what happens then.
And there's more: When you sleep less, your metabolism drops. So now you're playing double jeopardy. Not only do you have the raging ghrelin hormone demanding that you eat more sugary, calorie-laden foods, but you also have a metabolism drop off. Two plus two equals you're going to gain weight, all because you're not sleeping enough.
Sleep and Smile
We all know someone who proudly proclaims, "I'm not a morning person!" Maybe the reason so many of us aren't "Morning People" is because we're not sleeping. Sleep messes with every physiological function in the body. When your body undergoes the kind of trauma of sleeplessness, it starts to short-circuit. Some of the first wires to fray are those of your overall health, general mental processing, and the stability of your emotions.
Commonsense tells us that a good night of sleep gives us a better tomorrow, but a bit of scientific corroboration drives this point home. The sleep-deprived human body responds to the deprivation by releasing a torrent of stress hormones, amping up the blood pressure, and contributing to major heart problems. The sleep-deprived body produces less melatonin, reducing estrogen levels, and producing a predisposition to breast cancer. Lack of sleep slowly erodes the immune system, making you vulnerable to a mere whiff of the cold, flu, or any other infection.
Your mind works only as well as you're sleeping. In other words, less sleep creates loss of mental ability in areas like language processing, creative thinking, reflexive behavior, impulse control, attention-span, visual recognition, and judgment. I know it sounds kind of blunt, but the less you sleep, the dumber you become. The only reversal to this mental decline is more sleep. The better your mind functions, the more happy you are. Increased mental capacity produces higher levels of confidence, hope, and accomplishment. So it's simple: Sleep more. Smile more.
TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP
Nearly 70% of women do not sleep the recommended eight hours per night. Most women are getting closer to five hours of sleep. So, here are some quick tips for sleeping better.
Exercise. The number one solution for getting better sleep (and more of it) is exercise. Exercise tires the body sufficiently to get a great night of rest. Exercise also helps to reduce stress, which contributes to better sleep. Basically, exercise is an amazing fix to a whole lot of sleep disorders and insomnia. But try not to schedule your workout too late in the evening, while exercise helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle, the stimulation that comes from a workout in the three hours before bedtime may cancel the benefits.
Eat well. What you eat has a huge effect on how you sleep. A balanced diet full of nutritious goodies and low on sugary snacks is a wonderful recipe for a great night's sleep. Carbs help your brain use tryptophan, an amino acid that causes sleepiness, and proteins help your body build tryptophan, so if you need a light bedtime snack try peanut butter on toast or low-fat cheese and crackers.
Have the right sleep stuff. No, we're not talking about sleeping pills or Tylenol PM. A good night is about the proper environment. Your best sleep occurs in a dark, cool and quiet room, shut off from distractions. A cool bedroom lowers your core body temperature, which initiates sleepiness. What's the ideal thermostat setting? It varies from person to person, but try 65 degrees to start and then adjust, if necessary. A comfortable mattress and pillow are also very important. For a sounder sleep, sprinkle some lavender. Try a few drops of essential oil on a cloth and slip it under your pillow or iron pillowcases with lavender scented water.
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