Poor Sleep. How To Get More. Could It Be Keeping You From Losing Weight?

If you are not making sleep a daily priority, but your exercise and nutrition are right on, then this could be the reason you’re struggling with your weight.

Poor sleep is linked to excess body fat. It can cause you to feel hungrier, and lead to increased calorie intake.

If you’re getting sick a lot, the main culprit could be a lack of sleep. Poor sleep makes T-cells go down and inflammation go up, which results in increased vulnerability to viruses and bacteria, as well as an increased risk of other inflammatory-related diseases

A lack of sleep can also make you unhappy.

When we sleep, we produce neurotransmitters and regulate hormone production. However, when we don’t have enough sleep, we have heightened stress or mood swings, and it’s harder to control our emotions.

More times than not, it only takes a few changes in your bedtime routine and habits during the day to give yourself the sound sleep that your body is craving.

The results of having good quality sleep are:

• proper digestion

• high performance

• enhanced decision-making

• clear thinking

Some steps you can take during the day to prepare your body for a good night’s sleep are:

1.) Make your bed

It’s easier to relax when your bedroom is less cluttered. It’s a psychological trick.

2.) Exercise

Physical activity during the day will enable you to sleep better at night

3.) Expose yourself to natural sunlight

Opening your blinds/curtains first thing in the morning will put a halt to the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and will signal to your brain that it’s time to wake up.

4.) Put a stop to caffeine by 2:00

Any caffeine, whether it is in coffee, soda, or tea, will linger in your body for hours afterward. As this will make it difficult to relax.

5.) Dim your lights

In the evening, a few hours before heading to bed, start to turn the lights down low. Our brain starts promoting sleep-inducing melatonin between 9 PM and 10 PM, and bright lights and lights on screens/devices hinder the process.

6.) Keep your bedroom cool

67 degrees F is ideal for sleep.

7.) Sleep in darkness

Make sure your bedroom is pitch black. Drapes or blackout curtains could be used, or wear an eye mask. A slight bit of light can interfere with our bodies’ penile gland’s melatonin production (Definition of pineal gland. : a small, typically cone-shaped structure of the brain that arises from the roof of the third ventricle, is enclosed by the pia mater, and functions primarily as an endocrine gland secreting melatonin. Pineal Gland | Definition of Pineal Gland by Merriam-Webster .

8.) Have a bedtime routine

An hour or two before bedtime, start your routine... take a bath/shower, brush your teeth, read a book, spend time with your spouse. Try to stay consistent with this routine every night.

9.) Journal/make your to-do list for the next day

Get thoughts that are running through your mind out of your mind by jotting them down on paper.

If these ideas help, let me know. Share with others who may be struggling to get a restful night sleep.

Here's to our Journey,