Sleep is an imperative element that cannot be neglected in our life. Sleep is a fundamental need that plays a pivotal role in keeping the human body in a stable condition by ensuring the safety of mental as well as physical health. For a long time, doctors and health experts deemed that intake of anything after dinner or late in the night could have an effect on dieting. But now in a research carried out in Okayama University in Japan it turns out that those effects are actually the resultant of not getting adequate sleep. So if you are in the run to lose your weight it does not matter how balanced you set up your diet; unless you have a sound sleep you are not going to shed those last few pesky pounds from your body.
Sleep in not only essential for dieters but also to non dieters as regularly getting good amount of sleep can help us keep chronic sickness like diabetes and cardiac disease away at bay.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SLEEP
A quality sleep is as significant as having a healthy diet and good workout routine. Enabling yourself to good sound sleep regularly can enhance your ability to concentrate and in turn amplify your productivity. A sound sleep acts as a stimulus to your cognitive ability as sleep is significant for a wide range of brain functions.
If you are into sports, sleep is an important factor to improve your performance. Insufficient sleep with high intensity of practice sessions is going to take you nowhere in your field. Sufficient amount of sleep results in accuracy, quicker reaction time, and it enhances your speed as well as overall performance.
In a medical study experimented on two groups, a group with adequate amount of sleep and a group subjected to extended long working hours, it was detected that the group that suffered short of sleep had high negative impact on their brain function, which to a certain degree had the resemblance of alcohol intoxication.
In another study carried out on 2800 athletes it is found that lack of sleep results in functional limitations like poor exercise performance due to low grip potency and experience immense difficultly in carrying out independent activities.
CONNECTION BETWEEN SLEEP AND WEIGHT LOSS
According to various studies, poor sleep or lack of sleep is directly associated to weight gain and in fact they are the greatest risk factor for obesity. It is found that individuals that suffer from inadequate sleep are inclined to gain more weight than those who undergo quality sleep. This is because of the fact that sleep deprived people are likely to have a larger appetite and intake more calories in comparison with people who sleep well.
In a study it is found that people who do not have enough sleep are found to be subjected to disruption in hormones that are responsible for regulating appetite in a human being. They are found to suffer from elevated levels of ghrelin, a hormone that is in charge for stimulating appetite and declined levels of leptin, a hormone that is accountable for suppressing appetite. So if you are shedding it hard in your gym and keeping your mouth locked by strictly sticking to your diet to lose your weight it is important to know that getting some quality sleep is absolutely crucial to pull off your mission successfully.
CONNECTION BETWEEN STRESS AND SLEEP
Stress either from work or from relationship, is prone to have negative impacts in a person’s life in general. The fundamental root of all this negative impacts is the lack of sleep that stress bestows on an individual. People who suffer from depression or stress begin to worry and feel anxious while lying in bed resultant of which it becomes unfeasible for them to relax and shut their mind for some time to go to sleep.
Unfortunately, things will further worsen if an individual does not sleep well at night, as the body fillips the stress hormones in the body. When the level of stress hormones increases it deepens the intensity of stress which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, weaken immune system and cause various other problems. So it is necessary to take immediate restoration actions if an individual suffers from lack of sleep.
TIPS TO SLEEP WELL
CONSISTENCY
Have a consistent sleep and wake time pattern. There is an organic time keeping clock in human system known as Circadian Rhythm which operates on a set loop, aligning itself with sun rise and sun set patterns. It lets your body know when it is time to sleep and wake up. So when you consistently go to bed and awake up in a particular time span, it helps in enabling a sound sleep.
AVOID LONG NAPS
Avoid irregular long duration naps during the day time. It is healthy to have short interval naps during the day time as they rejuvenate you. But long duration naps during the day time are shown to have negative impact on your sleep during the night. Long duration naps during the day time tend to confuse the in-house clock, because of which you might experience an insomniac state during the night.
AVOID CAFFEINE AND CAFFEINE RELATED FOOD
Reduce the intake of caffeine related items late in the day. As caffeine has the nature to stimulate your nervous system, intake of caffeine related food late in the day might keep the body active instead of inducing sleep.
WARM BATH HELPS
Having a relaxing bath before you go to bed might help. You need to be relaxed and have a clear mind to have a quality sleep. There are various relaxation practices that doctors recommend like having a massage, deep breathing meditation, reading a book, and taking a hot bath. According to a study it is found that taking a hot bath an hour before going to bed can award you with an amazing overall sleep.
