Unique Original Articles » A Good Night's Sleep Aids Weight Loss

Deficient sleep is a major cause of overweight, and one of a variety of simple lifestyle "stuff ups" which we now understand are the real reasons for overweight and obesity.

20 years ago sleep rejection was talked about as an indication of high status. The less sleep you claimed you needed, the more clever or dedicated you were, and therefore the more esteem you were held in.

Modern scientific research trials have proven beyond argument that not only were those "sleep rejectors" being totally self-deluded about their abilities but they were also in the process of developing severe psychological and medical problems.

In fact too little sleep is now understood to be as a modern disease, preventing us from coping with stress of any kind, slowing down healing rates from sickness or injury, and even critically reducing our metabolism. Our body's metabolism plays a crucial role in weight loss and is every bit as critical as the calories in the food that we eat, and the amount of activity we have.

For instance weight loss leaders state that fat reduction is merely a case of “energy in/energy out”. This is an ignorant thing to say because your resting metabolic rate is more important the amount of food you eat or exercise you do.

Because quality sleep is so important when it comes to setting your metabolic rate, good sleep strategies should be a part of any strategy to drop weight permanently, although the actual amount varies from one individual to another Most adults need approximately seven to eight hours of quality sleep each night. Children and teenagers, even if they disagree, must have much more than that - about 12 (or more)hours of sleep every night.

Good sleep is even more essential in the journey to recovery from any disease or disorder, including depression.

As a weight loss clinician, I advise 9 ways to improve your sleep that can help you lose weight without dieting:

1 Be pretty fierce about your right to have good sleep. Don't allow the expectations of others to stop you from getting your sleep. If you need to go to bed early in order to get your sleep, do it. If you need to stop people from interrupting your sleep, just do it!

If sleep interruption is beyond your control (for example if you have a young baby or a sick child who needs care during the night) make sure you get more sleep during the day, and also do your best to arrange it so that you get some nights off.

2 Have a routine. This means a time for slowing down in the evening, a set time to hop into bed, a regular time that you get up each day, a a set daily routine. Leaving some room for flexibility as well, this "regularising" of your life will help your brain chemicals to create a dependable sleep experience

3 Go Quiet Physically and Mentally. Avoid stimulating food or drink for at least an hour before bed, and keep away from TV or books that stimulate your mind. Turn off some lights, put some quiet music on, and chill.

4 Identify Unnecessary Stress and Get Rid of it. A lot of people find it hard to relax enough to go to sleep, or to stay asleep, because they're troubled by too many thoughts racing through their heads. There are incredibly powerful techniques to both eliminate the anxiety, and to prevent those thoughts from wrecking your sleep. The two most useful strategies are Logotherapy and NeuroStim, both of which you'll find help for on the WeightChoice forums.

5 Make Your Bedroom Conducive to a Great Night's Sleep. Certainly your bed and pillows etc should be comfy! But in addition check that your bedroom is cool enough and dark enough, and that there's enough airflow. Those are ideal sleeping conditions.

6 Stay in Bed. Some sleep gurus advise you to get out of bed if you can't fall to sleep by the 30 minute mark, so that in your mind, bed is linked only to sleeping. This theory is sadly misguided, since bed can be linked to so many things: sexual activity, reading a book, taking time out for a solitary rest/think, and even being ill. Stay in bed so that you entrain your body and brain that at this time of night, bed is where you are meant to be.

There is excellent evidence for this recommendation. For example if we're teaching a new baby to get into a healthy sleep habit, one of the things we do overnight is try to not take them out of their cot and provide the minimum of stimulation necessary even if we have to feed them or replace a daiper. The last thing we'd do is pick them up and take them to a bright room and watch television or have music on. That'd be helping them to treat night time like day time!

So remain in your bed, and use one of one or more powerful relaxation techniques so that if you're not sleeping, you're at least teaching yourself to maintain a relaxed state - at least your body is keeping still and resting.

7 Be Physically Active Each Day. Daily activity is crucial if you want quality sleep because it helps you to make the right level of, the hormone which enables sleep.

8 Pay attention to all your relationships with other people. We enjoy a lot more wellbeing and we sleep better when our relationships are good.

9 Enjoy Good Nutrition. When it comes down to it it's the nutrient value we take into our body that allows us to produce the hormones that enable good sleep.
There are 17 simple little lifestyle mistakes that should be at the heart of all successful weight loss programs. You'll be please to know, there is a "terrific free ebook entitled "How to Be an Effortlessly Slim, Healthy Person", downloadable at WeightChoice. Visit today to grab your copy!

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