How Sleep Or Lack Of It Affects Your Weight, Exercise And Fitness

If you are serious about your health, sleep is an important factor that you should consider along with nutrition. If you exercise, eat well, but do not get enough sleep, you will slow down your progress.

During sleep your body goes into recovery mode. Not just physically, but mentally as well. It is a chance to escape and get everything ready for the next day. One or two late nights here may not do much harm, but if you make it a habit to sleep late and get up early, you will struggle physically and mentally sooner or later. It's like a deck or card waiting to fall.

Not getting enough sleep will damage your body, and as a result, your weight loss, health and exercise program. You will run out of steam easily, lose focus and look like crap, to put it bluntly. You will also lose your cardiovascular strength and ability, yet the increase in hormone cortisol will cause you to lose more weight around the middle faster than you can say aye-carumba!

I have met many people who seem to think they can go with just a few hours' night shift while working in London. They seem to see it as a badge of honor! Yet beneath the surface they struggle to compete and in all honesty do not see a tip-top situation.

I've had nightmares before, but nothing prepared me for a slap in the face of being a parent. If you have children, I'm sure you can guarantee this. Newborns are beautiful, but they play havoc with your beauty sleep. With the increase in stress hormone cortisol and the need for sugary foods to maintain a ticking body it is no wonder many women struggle to lose weight months after giving birth and why so many fathers are lifting weight as well. Thankfully it doesn't last forever and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

What you may not know is that your muscle growth and recovery especially occur when your head is on a pillow. Sleep, in fact, is a recovery method for recovering from all daily activities. When you sleep fast and your mind is elsewhere on the ground nausea, your body actually repairs your muscles and rejuvenates you.

It's not a good idea to exercise before going to bed, unless you like staring at the ceiling all night long, since our body temperature controls our sleep cycle. Body temperature decreases as we sleep. Guess what happens when we exercise? Body temperature rises and has a negative effect on our sleep. Plus, you know people who have good hormones that you get after exercising; they also have the habit of keeping us awake. Back when I was a student (many years ago) I worked nights at the pork factory (that's another story). However, after my shift, I went to the golf course to practice my swing. Off I pop home to sleep, just to find I can't sleep for a good few hours. Hitting a little golf ball is a heavy exercise, so you've been warned. If you are going to exercise in the evening try and give yourself at least a few hours before hitting the hay for the night.

Experts recommend a minimum of eight quality hours of sleep so your body can relax and replenish for the coming days. When we talk about 'quality sleep', we mean uninterrupted sleep in a black room, with no lights (even small LEDs), cell phones, wifi alerts or snoring couples. You may not be able to do much about snoring couples, but you can definitely order more! You will be surprised how little light can affect your sleep patterns. If you have light from the outside sneaking into your bedroom you're thinking about a black curtain or one of Mrs.'s eye masks. W. Personally I'm too old to wear girly stuff and instead sleep with a pillow over my head (no joke).

Now you have to realize that sleep plays an important role in our health. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked because people seem to think that going to bed early can not have a huge impact on their health or weight loss, but it will and it will! Get yourself some sleep a few nights a week and your body, general health and wellness will thank you.

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