Beginner's Fitness Programs

I know that you are busy and can’t find time in your day. It seems that the only way to find the time for working out is by cutting sleep time…

In general, people need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Many people are sleeping less than that and a sizable number of people are actually sleeping less than 6 hours. Sure, there is a lucky minority of people who need less than 5 hours of sleep, but most of us need at least 6 hours a day.

Short sleep affects not only brain, but also body functions. If you are dieting to lose weight, sleep is fairly important. One study done at the University of Chicago showed that, although you will lose the same amount of body weight regardless of how long you sleep, if you get adequate amounts of sleep, more than half of the weight lost is from body fat compared to one-fourth body fat if you do not get enough sleep. researchers also found that if dieters don’t get enough sleep, they feel hungrier, because the restricted sleep triggers production of hunger hormones.

Another bad thing about staying up late is that it shifts your eating time to later in the day when your metabolism is low, and you gain weight even if you eat the same amounts of food. It takes a few hours to digest food and if you go to bed before your stomach is empty, you will have a lower quality of sleep. This is far worse if you eat fatty foods late in the day. Researchers at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil found that eating fatty foods produced a lower-quality night’s sleep. Getting 8 hours of low-quality sleep is equivalent to sleeping less than 6 hours.

So, should we sleep longer? Well, too much sleep is not good either, especially for older people. Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK found that regularly sleeping more than 8 hours a day increased chances of developing a metabolic syndrome by 15%.

Now we know that we need 6 to 8 hours daily of high-quality sleep. Is there any way to improve sleep quality? Yes, here are a few tips.

1. Go to bed at the same time every day. (I know this is difficult, especially on weekends).
2. Have a ritual before going to bed. Five minutes of breathing exercise is a great one.
3. Keep the sleeping area free of distractions, such as light, noise, or vibrations.
4. Don’t eat too late at night. It is best to eat last at least 3 hours before going to bed.
5. Don’t drink too much in the last hours either, so that you don’t need to wake up to go to the bathroom.
6. Know your sleeping cycles. Most people have 90-minute sleeping cycles. Try to wake up when the your sleep
   is getting lighter. (Don’t forget that most people need 15 to 20 minutes to fall asleep.)
7. Workout! You need to be physically tired to sleep well. However, don’t workout too late at night. Have 3 to 4 hours of relaxed time before going to bed.

It is time for bed. Sleep well.

Sources
Sleep loss limits fat loss: University of Chicago Medical Center 2010, October.
Light at night increases body mass by shifting the time of food intake. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010
Fat Intake Negatively Influences The Sleep Pattern In Healthy Adults: American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2008, June
Long sleep duration linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in older adults: American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2010, June

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