Why Sleep is Your Secret Weapon For Fat Loss.

Sleep is something most people don’t really think about in terms of getting the body they want but it might just be your secret weapon.  Not getting enough sleep causes stress hormones which can react very negatively in your fight against fat loss.  Studies show that getting 8 hours of sleep a night can increase your metabolism which in turn burns fat at a faster rate than someone who gets only 6 hours of sleep. If you are the type who tosses and turns and can’t get to bed on time than maybe my next guest blogger can give you the tips you need.

 Ali Jan Qadir has been working in the mattress industry for more than ten years. He is a recognized industry expert and sleep consultant.  Let’s put it this way, he knows sleep!  He is the author of a blog www.whatsthebestbed.org Here you can see his thoughts and reviews on the latest industry trends such as adjustable bed brands.  

Having an adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle and can benefit your heart, mind, weight and more .Sleep affects cognitive skills, relationships with others, ability to handle stress, physical and nutritional conditioning.

Most individuals need seven to eight hours of sleep at night to function optimally for maximum alertness as the body cannot be trained to need less sleep than the normal. Everyone who sleeps only four to five hours of sleep each night will experience some loss of performance.

Some individuals can function reasonably well on little sleep for short durations particularly with the aid of caffeine or other stimulants but even their performance is impacted to a measurable extent. Not getting enough sleep certainly has serious impact on how and what you think including decreased working memory, situational/battlefield awareness, ability to concentrate, focus and slowing of responses and response time.It also reduces your ability to make good decisions and increases the tendency to be distracted by emotional stimuli. It lowers the ability to interact effectively with those around you and to communicate effectively. Even more disturbing facts are that inadequate amounts of sleep have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, obesity, depression and heart disease etc.

No one can function on just a few hours of sleep a night over time. When one faces a total sleep deprivation, his performance typically declines by 25 percent every 24 hours depending on the type of performance being measured.   As mentioned above, sleep loss impacts multiple performance areas, therefore, an understanding of its overall impact is important for total fitness.

The benefits of a good night’s sleep are plentiful but many often people are just not getting enough sleep or the kind of quality sleep they need to be fully functional and to make the most of their waking hours. Therefore, the low productivity can mean loss of income and work product.

There are several simple adjustments one can make to stack the cards in favor of a better night’s sleep for you.

·      Avoiding to watch TV before bed

Your bed should be reserved only for sleep. Research shows that those who experienced the most sleep disturbances had televisions in their bedrooms and used the TV to fall asleep.

·      Try a different pillow or mattress.

Sometimes just replacing your pillow with a fresh, new and higher quality version pillow or mattress could give you all that you need in terms of a better sleep. Many people have difficulty getting a good quality sleep because they have back pains. If back pain is a problem for you try picking out best mattress brand for back pains, they will really improve the quality of your sleep.

 

·      Keep yourself away from caffeine late in the day.

Eliminate the tea, coffee, soda and even chocolate and see if your sleep improves.

·      Listening to relaxing music.

In order to establish a relaxing bedtime routine, things just like listening to music, could just act as a signal you need to give your body for the time to sleep. Dim the lights and throw some slow jazz or relaxing sounds CD to help slow your mind and body down for an evening of peaceful sleep.

·      Apply mind-body techniques.

Your brain and body need to unwind and detox before sleep fresh after an action-packed day. So create a routine for bedtime where you take a bath, do some easy stretches, yoga or meditate. Keep practicing the same each night. This repetition will trigger your mind and body that it is time to relax and sleep.

Taking sleep medications may also help you fall asleep but they cannot be taken long-term and many have risky side effects. Therefore, a sleep aid that uses natural ingredients is a better approach to getting a solid night’s sleep.

Finally, most important is to simply avoid accumulating a sleep debt that will have to be paid off. So, obtaining sufficient time asleep on a daily basis is the BEST way to maintain long-term optimal operational readiness.