16 Tips for Better Sleep

Sleep is absolutely critical to our physical health, weightloss efforts, mental health, and overall wellbeing (here's why). Use these 16 tips from the Nov-Dec 2013 issue of Fitness Journal to help create better sleep habits. 

• Limit caffein, particularly in the afternoon and evening. 

• Limit alcohol. Especially avoid excessive consumption before bed.

• Try to quite tobacco use; nicotine is a stimulant.

• Don't use your computer, cell phone or handheld device in the 90 minutes before bedtime. LED lighting "tells" the brain to stay awake. 

• Limit television viewing before bed. 

• Lower the temperature in the house or bedroom before and during sleep. The body likes cooler temperatures. Many sleep doctors suggest lowering body temperature 90 minutes before bedtime. 

• Take a hot bath 90-120 minutes before bed. 

• Use the bed only for sleeping, lovemaking, and perhaps reading before sleep. 

• Nap only 15-20 minutes in the early afternoon, if necessary.

• Keep a sleep diary to track patterns.

• Eat 3-4 hours before bed and avoid heavy meals during that time. 

• If possible, protect sleep from intrusions (unexpected noise); consider wearing earplugs. 

• If you don't fall asleep within 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something else until your body and mind feel tired. 

• Meditate, listen to soothing music, or create other nighttime rituals that signal it's time to sleep.

• Use blackout curtains to block light.

• Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillow. 

For more tips, check out 5 Things You Need To Do Everyday.

A Lack of Sleep Contributes to "Almost Immediate Weight Gain."

When making changes to your lifestyle and committing to new goals, you need to be performing at your best each day to help ensure you have the physical and emotional strength to stay focused on your priorities, and consistently make the right decisions. A lack of sleep negatively affects your ability to do this in several ways and "studies have shown that people who habitually sleep less than six hours per night are much more likely to have a higher than average BMI."3

"Losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row 

can lead to almost immediate weight gain." 1

Too little sleep upsets the balance of hormones that control appetite, energy metabolism, and glucose processing. 3 This lack of sleep causes the body to:

Increase the amounts of the steroid hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol is known as the "stress hormone," as it is released in the body as a response to stress to increases blood sugar, heart rate, and prepare the body to repair tissue easily. 4 While this is a temporarily useful mechanism your body relies on to protect you from a perceived threat, it has some negative side effects as well, especially when compounded over a long-term basis. Cortisol also "alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system, and growth processes."4  The "overexposure to cortisol ... can disrupt almost all of your body's processes ... [putting you at risk for] anxiety, depression, digestive problems, heart disease, weight gain, and memory and concentration impairment."4

Increase in insulin following a meal. Insulin is a hormone "that regulates the glucose processing and promotes fat storage; higher levels of insulin are associated with weight gain."3

Lower levels of leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells brain that body that it has enough food. A lack of sleep results in leptin levels lowering in the body, signaling your brain to "make you feel hungrier than when you're well-rested."2

Increase ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is a biochemical that stimulates appetite. When ghrelin increases in the body, it sends signals to the brain telling it that you're hungry. In addition to the hormonal imbalances already affecting the body's ability to discern whether it is truly hungry or not, a lack of sleep may result in being "more likely to eat foods such as sweets that satisfy the craving for a quick energy boost [and] may leave us too tired to burn off these extra calories with exercise."3 

Perform at a lower level mentally. "Studies show that ... if you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change."2 All of these tools are critical, whether it be in your effort to begin a weight-loss program, adhere to new healthy behaviors, or maintain your healthy lifestyle on a regular basis.

Struggle to Remain Healthy. In addition to the above, your body depends on sleep tremendously to replenish systems that were depleted during the day, such as the immune system. Several days of a lowered immune system, lack of sleep, exposure to stress and pathogens greatly increases your risk of getting sick. Remaining healthy and full of energy is critical in ensuring you are able to take the steps you need to each day to reach your weight-loss and health-related goals.

Some resources for creating healthy sleep habits:

6 Tips to Start Your Own Meditation Routine

Engineering a High-Quality Restful Night

16 Tips for Better Sleep


References:
1. Parker-Pope, Tara. "Lost Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain." New York Times. 18 March 2013. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/lost-sleep-can-lead-to-weight-gain
2. "Why is Sleep Important." National Heart, Lunch, and Blood Institute. 22 February 2012. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why.html
3. "Sleep and Disease Ricks." Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. 18 December 2007. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk
4. Mayo Clinic staff. "Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk." Mayo Clinic. 11 July 2013. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001
5. Matthews, Jessica.  "When it Comes to Weight Loss, How Important is Sleep?" ACE Fit Family Health. 25 November 2009. http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/110/when-it-comes-to-weight-loss-how-important-is

5 Things You Need to Do Everyday.

1. Drink Plenty of Water: Everyone knows they are supposed to "drink plenty of water," but how much is enough? According to the Institute of Medicine, an adequate intake for a healthy adult male living in a temperate climate should consume 3 liters (about 13 cups) and females should consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups). Water is critical in ensuring that a wide variety of functions in the body perform properly such as lubricating your joints, helping the liver and kidney flush out toxins, cushioning vital organs, regulating body temperature, carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, and many more. Make sure to carry a reusable water bottle around with you during the day and you'll be surprised how much more you'll drink just by having it with you.

2. Get Enough Sleep: The reasons why enough sleep is paramount to good health are endless. From brain function to physical and emotional health, it is crucial to get enough sleep each night to preform optimally each day. According to the National Institute of Health, the recommended amount of sleep for Newborns is 16-18 hours/day, Preschool-aged children is 11-12 hours/day, School-aged children is at least 10 hours/day, Teens is 9-10 hours/day, and Adults is 7-8 hours/day. Commit to creating a regular sleep schedule for yourself, and if you have trouble winding down at night, turn off electronics and media an hour before you plan to head to bed. Here are 16 Tips for Better Sleep. If this isn't enough, it would best to add some meditation in during this time. Here are some quick tips on how to start an easy mediation routine.

3. Eat Enough of the Right Things: We all know eating 3 healthy and balanced meals each day is easier said than done, and at times can feel like an unsurmountable task. You need to know that it's not, and it's much easier than you think. Here are just 2 things you'll need to make this an effortless part of everyday life. First, you'll need to know what your nutrient preferences are for a balanced daily diet, and you can get that info by checking out this easy chart. Second, you'll want to download the Loseit app to your smartphone and set up an account today. There are many tracking apps out there, and whether you're looking to lose weight or not, I suggest this one as I find it the most comprehensive, accessable, and easy to use. If you don't have a smartphone, you can always login on their website Loseit.com. From here, you'll be able to track the nutrients you eat each day, compare it to the nutrient preferences you need, and adjust accordingly. If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.

4. Eat Real Food: There is nothing that disrupts the healthy functioning of your body more than artificial ingredients, stimulants (caffeine), depressants (alcohol), and medication entering your system. Avoiding this 100% of the time and eating all organic, real, whole food, is of course ideal, but not always realistic. Even with all of the planning and prepping you can do, sometimes life gets ahead of us and we are stuck making choices we'd prefer not to make. In those times here are 5 Ingredients to Unconditionally Avoid and 8 Tips to Get You Through the Supermarket. Remember to limit the amount of alcohol you consume, and don't rely on caffein for energy. Sleep, the right food, and exercise should be exactly what your body needs for the energy you need everyday.

5. Exercise: Last but certainly not least, you need to exercise. From stress reduction to heart health, exercise is an undeniably important component in your everyday life. Whether it's an intense workout, or just figuring out how to add more movement to your day, it needs to be done, and you don't need to go to the gym to do it. Here are some previous posts that can help make sure exercise happens everyday: 5 Full Body Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, 6 Ways to Jump Rope, 6 Ab Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, and 40 Ideas for Outdoor Exercise. Everyone has an ideal exercise time that is unique to them, check out the post Find Your Peak Exercise Time to determine yours.

Meditation for Health. Transcending Spirituality.

In western culture the value of meditation is too often dismissed as a foolish spiritual pursuit and a waste of time, despite the fact that countless scientific studies have proven otherwise. These studies continue to show that the benefits of meditation transcend simply achieving spiritual clarity, but they also include "stronger immune system, enhanced attention, lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease, less anxiety and depression, increased feelings of compassion and empathy, fewer binge eating episodes, lower blood sugar, improved sleep, and better pain management," just to name a few.

Here are six tips from Diksha McCord on how to begin a meditation practice.

• Create a dedicated space. A small room or closet is ideal, but if this is not possible, create a quiet area in your home and return there each time you practice. 

• Set a consistent time. Choose a regular time - such as dawn, noon or dusk - and try to practice daily. 

• Ensure quiet. To sharpen your mental focus, wear headphones or earplugs if sounds are distracting. 

• Sit with good posture. Sit upright, with spine erect and body relaxed, and place your hands, palms up, on the thighs at the junction of the thighs and abdomen. 

• Be comfortable. Use pillows and cushions as necessary. Sit in a chair if it's more comfortable. Place a pillow across your thighs as needed as a place to rest your hands. Experiment with different positions (including different hand positions) to find what works for you. 

• Start gradually. Start with as little as 5 minutes and increase your sitting time in increments of 5 minutes. Work up to 30 minutes, twice daily, if possible. Let enjoyment be your guide.

Alcohol, Muscle Mass, and More.

We all know consuming too much alcohol too frequently can quickly derail our goal of living a healthier life. 

Here's How - A great summary of how alcohol doesn't just add calories to our daily intake, but how it also effects our sleep, nutrition, metabolism, muscle mass and much more.