Are you getting enough sleep? If you aren't getting between 7-8 hours of sleep per night, you may be jeopardizing your own weight loss efforts.
Whether you are a business executive or a stay-at-home-mom, you probably lead a very busy life. More often than not, sleeping hours are used for other activities as we try to squeeze just a little more out of each day.
However, being sleep deprived puts dieters at risk. If you are doing everything else by the book, but you are missing out on critical hours of sleep each night, you will likely have trouble losing weight. It's time to examine your sleep patterns.
Are you
- Having a hard time falling asleep at night?
- Frequently tossing and turning?
- Consistently waking up early and being unable to fall back to sleep?
- Waking up feeling tired?
- Experiencing a lack of energy throughout the day?
A lack of sleep causes more than low energy levels and irritability though. It also reduces levels of certain growth hormones that are needed to metabolize carbs. An imbalance allows the body to store fat and burn fewer calories.
Considering the most basic equation about weight loss that says you need to burn more calories and consume fewer calories to lose weight, sleep deficiency will do more hard than good. Consider revising your schedule and leaving plenty of time for sleep so that your body can work properly and you will have the energy you need to do everything else on your mile-long to-do list.
You may have insomnia if you continue having trouble sleeping and answered yes to one or more of the questions above. Everyone has a restless night now and then, but if it persists for more than a couple of weeks you should seek help. See your doctor for information on medications that can help you sleep.
