Sleep and weight Reduction

New studies have highlighted the fact that getting a good nights sleep can help you to reduce your weight. You may find that weight reduction pills could become a thing of the past if you could just get the correct amount of sleep.

Experts have new weight-loss advice that’s sure to be welcome news: Sleep can be just as important to a successful diet as healthful eating and exercise.

“Chronic sleep restriction is pervasive in modern societies, and there is robust evidence supporting the role of reduced sleep as contributing to the current obesity epidemic,” write a pair of obesity experts in the new edition of the Canadian Medical Assn. Journal.

That evidence includes findings that overtired brains prompt people to eat more, and that some hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism don’t work properly in people who don’t get enough sleep.

Image by charliebarker via Flickr

adults wanting to reduce their weight were put on a diet that forced them to cut 680 calories per day. In addition, one group slept for 8.5 hours per night and the other slept only 5.5 hours per night. After two weeks, study volunteers in the sleep-deprived group had lost 55% less body fat than their well-rested counterparts. They had also lost 60% more lean body mass. The researchers concluded that when the body is tired, holding on to fat becomes a priority….

More at Want to lose weight? Be sure to get enough sleep, experts say – Los Angeles Times

Here are a few more tips on how to get the sleep you need. 

Think of regular hours of sleep in the same way as a job. Leaping from unemployment to a job that eats up 12 hours a day is hard. After a few weeks of this, the body becomes used to it, and 12 hours isn’t hard to stomach anymore. Now look at the body in terms of sleep. Once the body is programmed to sleep for eight hours between two specified times then it will come to expect it. Introduce a regular bedtime to your schedule and your body will become conditioned to it and you won’t even need an alarm clock anymore! Remember too, it isn’t just about going to sleep at a regular time, but also getting enough sleep. It is recommended that adults should get between 7 and 10 hours of sleep every day in order for the body to re-energise, regenerate and repair….

More at Top Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep

More and more it is being suggested that if you want to lose weight you have to look further than just your calorie intake and exercise regime. Your sleep patterns can play a major part in your efforts to lose weight.