When was the last time you woke up in a good mood, feeling ‘FRESH’ and thought…
‘Ooo yeah that was a great night’s sleep?’
With a 1 year old daughter, I can confirm mine was approx 1 year ago, lol.
If YOURS was this long ago or you can’t remember then you should definitely keep reading.
Stress, insomnia, lifestyle, work, bad sleeping habits, parenthood…
There’s LOTS of reasons you may not be getting a ‘good’ nights sleep but it’s sooooo important and here’s why.
Sleep is ESSENTIAL for function & fatloss.
Sleep allows your body to recover and repair itself so it can FUNCTION and work properly.
It also helps to balance your hormones which is crucial for FATLOSS.
If you DON’T get enough sleep, here’s what you may experience:
1. Weight GAIN.
2. Poor MOTOR skills.
3. Poor MENTAL health.
4. A WEAK immune system.
5. LOWER sex drive and fertility.
6. Decrease in LEARNING ability and memory.
7. Increase RISK of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure & heart disease.
So HOW much sleep should you be getting?
7-9 hours on average is ‘ideal’ – any more or less can be UNHEALTHY.
You may find 6 hours is sufficient or you may need 10 – everybody’s different.
Although unless you’re extremely fatigued/sleep deprived, 10-11 hours is suggested the HIGH end for nightly sleep.
How can sleep affect your FATLOSS?
* Sleep produces Growth Hormones (GH) which AIDS in fatloss and muscle building.
* Lack of sleep increases your HUNGER hormone ghrelin and promotes cravings.
After experiencing high levels of sleep deprivation recently and discovering my sudden need for cake, I can confirm this is true!
* Lack of sleep also raises your FAT-STORING hormone cortisol.
Now know WHY sleep is important and HOW it can affect you but WHAT can you do about it?
If you’re someone who has a hard time when it comes to catching some zeds here’s 5 simple tips:
1. Sleep in a batcave!
Invest in a blackout blind, turn the standby light on your TV off and phone upside down so there’s no ‘flashing’.
2. Get comfortable.
If you’re pillow’s rock hard and mattress is pushing springs into your ribs a good night sleep is NEVER going to happen.
3. Ditch the alcohol.
You may pass out quickly but your sleep quality will be POOR and you’ll still wake up feeling tired.
4. Limit the caffeine.
Perhaps an obvious one but caffeine can last up to 6 hrs in your system so try switching to de-caf / herbal drinks after 3pm.
5. Get into a routine.
You’re body’s an amazing machine and simple to train if you’re CONSISTENT.
Aim to be in bed by 10pm – 10.30pm so by the time you actually fall asleep you’re getting your sleeping needs met.
Do this on a DAILY basis and your body clock, mood, energy levels and youthful looks will soon thank you for it : )
Lee ‘praying for a silent night’ Donald x
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