SLEEP

Why sleep is important and what it does for your body:

Research shows
•  People who get 5 hours of sleep or less are 50% more likely to be obese than those who get 8 or more hours of sleep a night.
• People who sleep 5-6 hours are 23% more likely to be obese than those who get 8 or more hours of sleep a night.
• Less sleep can cause you to feel unsatisfied after eating – even if you are full!
• People who get 7-8 hours of sleep perform better on mental tasks
• People who get 7-8 hours of sleep at night tend to live longer
• People who receive adequate amounts of sleep are less likely to get sick
• Even when people exercise and eat properly, if they get less than 8 hours of sleep per night, they are at greater risk for obesity.
• Some people need a little more than 8 hours and some people need a little less than 8 hours.
• You’ll know the right amount when you wake up refreshed–but research suggests 8 or more.
• Sleeping an adequate amount boosts your immune system

People are more likely to get sick when they are not getting enough sleep. Infection fighting cells are released during deep sleep!

Sleeping enough helps your nervous system work properly:
• Lack of sleep impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.
• During the night, various sleep cycles play a role in “consolidating” memories in the mind. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to remember what you learned and experienced during the day.
• Lack of sleep increases risks of chronic diseases:
• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Irregular heartbeat
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Being sleepy can cause accidents
• Lack of sleep decreases sex drive
• Sleepiness is depressing: People diagnosed with depression often have sleep disorders.
• Lack of sleep ages your skin: When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic. Sleep loss also causes the body to release too little human growth hormone. When we’re young, human growth hormone promotes growth. As we age, it helps increase muscle mass, thicken skin, and strengthen bones.
• Adequate sleep = better physical performance during sports, better concentration, and improved memory
• Less than 8 hours of sleep per night creates hormonal chaos in your body.
• This hormonal chaos causes you to be more stressed, more hungry, less energetic, better at storing fat (especially belly fat), unable to build muscle, lose your sex drive, age faster, increase your risk for diabetes and have unstable blood sugar and crave more carbs, especially sugar.• The reason you burn fat during sleep is because the fat-burning hormone spikes during deep sleep cycles.
•  It’s almost impossible to catch up on that important sleep if you miss this time period.
• The delayed fat-burning effects of exercise can be prevented if you are not getting quality sleep during these hours.
• Typically less than seven hours can prevent fat burning.

Sleep tips:

Do not eat right before bed, do not consume any caffeine, create a night time ritual, sleep in a completely dark room, Save your bed for sleep (not work), If you live in a noisy area – a white noise machine may help, light reading before bed time can help you wind down, Get up at the same time everyday.  Stop napping!