Are you getting enough sleep for fat loss?

sleep deprivation

Sleep to aid fat loss : Here is a nice little one for your day off….one tip that I absolutely LOVE, when it comes to fat loss.

Getting more sleep…is essential to achieving better body composition..especially for you early starters in our Group programs. Nothing I like more than once our youngest is in bed (errr…yes that is 7.45/8pm, its the ROCK ‘n’ ROLL lifestyle I lead)

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), sleep is essential to a person’s health and wellbeing. Yet millions of people do not get enough shuteye. NSF conducted a survey spanning five years, which revealed that at least 40 million people in America and 5.4 million in Britain suffer from multiple sleep disorders. A staggering 60% of adults, partaking in the survey reported having sleep problems at least a few nights per week. Over 40% of those non sleepers suffer from daytime tiredness so severe that they are unable to perform daily activities sufficiently at times.

 Benefits of sufficient sleep in YOUR life:

sleep and fat loss Most importantly or some of our readers is the effect sleep can have on reducing your body fat, studies have shown that fat loss increased by 56% with a continued reduced nightly hours of sleep. Short sleep (4-5 hours per night) was associated with low leptin and high ghrelin levels, Since reduced leptin and elevated ghrelin are likely to increase appetite, this may explain the increased body fat% observed with short  duration and how chronic curtailment could contribute to obesity!

.Improved memory

.Prolonged life

.Lowered stress

.Improved sports performance

.Increased creativity

.Enhanced school/work results

.Sharpened attention

.Reduced risk of car accidents

.Reduced depression

How much do you require?

So how do you acquire these benefits? Well, everyone’s individual needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of ‘being up’ and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they’ve slept ten hours. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn’t decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced.

different stages of sleep

How to get enough sleep:

Once you have identified the length of sleep that meets your activities – you can put measures in place to ensure you succeed in resting long enough. A night’s sleep is divided into five continually shifting stages, defined by types of brain waves that reflect either lighter or deeper sleep. E.g. towards morning, there is an increase in rapid eye movement, which is when dreaming occurs and recent memories may be consolidated in the brain. The brain naturally switches through each stage and should be allowed to do so naturally. Therefore, continually pushing the snooze button is not recommended because the brain switches through its stages too quickly – given that snooze intervals often last less than ten minutes. In turn, your extra snoozing time is actually of less value than if you never bothered!

So what about the hours before getting to morning snooze? There are techniques to combat common sleep problems:

.Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule

.Don’t drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimise daytime use

.Don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you awake in the night

. Avoid alcohol and heavy meals

.Get regular exercise

.Minimize noise, light and excessive hot and cold temperatures

Sleep is part of life, if you want to maximise it…make sure you’re getting enough zzzzzz! If you are struggling with managing your sleep, energy and lifestyle, then why not get in contact with us for a consultation.

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