Just How Important is Sleep?

Now that I am off to the deal with hubby about losing weight (to which my doctor also advised since my cholesterol and sugar are on the rise), I am more than excited to see the results. It may be very premature right now to witness the changes, but I am really doing my best to make a difference.

I got an email featuring the importance of sleep in losing weight.

Long ago, it has dawned upon me that sleeping causes weight gain. I was so fond of sleeping way back in college that it almost made me flunk, and what I really remembered back then was that I have gained so much weight. Maybe I have disregarded the fact that I also ate lots during those times. Now that I do not sleep that much (I usually sleep at 11pm on the average...and in between sleep I still have to wake up and feed my two boys), I still have gained weight. Now I see that there was no direct relationship between sleep and weight and so I have already dismissed my previous concept on sleep.

Just how important is sleep? According to experts, lack of sleep affects the level of certain hormones in the body, especially those responsible for the metabolic processes. Sleep loss makes a person hungry and would affect the body's metabolism. At the same time, lack of sleep or proper rest causes fatigue and 'run down' so the person won't have the enthusiasm to undergo the activities relative to weight loss, especially those physical activities that are rigid and requires sweating it out. Moreover, when working out, muscles are teared up but with proper sleep, those muscles are re-built.

And so, to have a good and deep sleep we all deserve, here are some of the things to be done in order to achieve it.

- Eat a healthy diet.
- Have a regular exercise routine.
- Undergo relaxing pre-bedtime rituals like warm baths and listening to soothing music
- Create a peaceful sleep environment.

Resource: Sparkpeople.