Do you know how much sleep is enough, and how exactly sleep affects your weight?
Expert are saying sleep is critical to leading a healthy life and maintaining a healthy weight. If you are falling short of your weight loss goals and feel like you’re doing everything right, you may need to clock in some extra hours of zzz’s. It’s true, most of us are stressed, overworked and over muli-tasking trying to fit it all in, which affects our sleep. Does this sound familiar?
So what actually happens when we don’t get enough sleep?
Our hunger hormones get out of balance leaving us hungry and craving the wrong kinds of foods. The two hormone culprits are Leptin and Ghrelin. Studies show 7-9 hours of sleep are necessary to keep these hormones balanced and working properly.
Ghrelin is the hormone that tells you to eat, (hunger hormone) If you are sleep-deprived, this hormone increases, therefore never shutting off and causing you to eat more food. (no bueno)
Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating. When you’re sleep-deprived, this hormone decreases, causing you to overeat because your brain doesn’t get the message that you’re full.
Now that we know this, here are some tips to getting a good night sleep-
Forgo your cup of afternoon coffee.
Turn off all electronics one hour before bedtime.
Avoid a big meal, alcohol, or too much liquid before bedtime.
Turn your bedroom into a "no-electronics" zone.
Lower the lighting one hour before bedtime, signalling the body to wind down.
Drink a cup of herbal tea.
Use relaxing essential oils like lavender to relax.
Take a bath in Epsom salt which has mineral magnesium in it and help sleep.
Keep your room dark and cool.
If you are stressed out or just can’t turn off your mind, watch this video I made with relaxation breathing and stretching to calm the body and prep for a good night’s sleep.
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For those of you in live in Ann Arbor, I will be adding a new class to JUMP studio! This class will be a fusion of cardio, core, balance and stretching called Mind, Body, Bounce. It will be offered Wednesdays at noon for 45 minutes starting April 5th! First class is FREE to try out so bring a friend and see how awesome rebounding feels on the body. Classes are offered at The Mix Studio, 2007. S, State St. Hope to see you there!
Here’s to your health!