Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Time to Catch Some zzzz's


Christmas is over and you are probably enjoying a day or two off of work. I hope you turned the alarm clock off this morning and caught a few extra zzz's.

I love sleeping, seriously if I could have a nap everyday I would, I love going to bed, curling up under a fluffy duvet and drifting off to sleep.  I love a good 8 - 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but how often does that happen? With a husband that gets up before the sun to go to work, a dog who insists on getting up by 7am and the pressure I put on myself to squeeze a workout in before work its more likely to be 7-8 hours of frequently disturbed sleep.  Call me Girl Interrupted minus the loony-bin.

There was a study done recently with 1,000 volunteers tracking their sleep habits and how it effected their health. For subjects that routinely slept less than eight hours per night their percentage of body fat was higher than those that routinely slept eight hours each night. When subjects were deprived of sleep their appetites increased by 45% the following day! ref: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/lose-weight-while-sleeping

In addition to an increase in appetite who hasn't had a sleepless night to only come home from work and crash out on the couch? It's difficult to get the energy to cook a healthy meal or exercise when you are tired.  And a nap after work tends to lead to another restless night followed by a tired day and then before you know it you are in a viscous cycle which is hard to break.

Here are some tips to a better night's rest:
- go to bed the same time each night, weekday and weekend
- turn off all electronic devices an hour before bedtime
- don't exercise within three hours of bedtime
- no caffeine in the evening
- take a warm bath before bed
- block any light in your bedroom, even light from your alarm clock can alter your sleep patterns, turn the clock toward the wall or buy one with a display dimmer, or buy a sleep mask
- invest in a proper mattress and pillow
- if you are having trouble sleeping talk with your doctor
- do not hit the snooze button, any additional minutes of sleep you get are not restorative
- if your spouse is a snorer send him/her to the doctor for some sleep aids, kicking them in the shins all night only keeps you awake and holding a pillow over their face is illegal 

It's also a myth that you can catch up on sleep.  Haven't we all had a stressful week with too little sleep to then crash on a Friday night and spend the weekend trying to catch up?  It doesn't work. You need to be consistent in your sleep habits just as you need to be consistent with diet and exercise.

Sweet Dreams.

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