Sleep--It's Good For You

Do you get enough sleep to function at your best most of the time?  That means seven to nine hours per night!  Long gone are the days of bragging about how little sleep you can get by on.  Nowadays, it is all about setting yourself up for a good night's sleep as part of your regular healthy routine.

Good sleeping is tied to good feelings, good actions and good hormones.  This is precisely why it is linked to good weight loss.  When you sleep well at night, your body releases a hormone called leptin that actually helps you get satisfied with healthy foods.  YEAH!!  On the other hand, when you don't sleep well or enough hours, your body gets the hormone called ghrelin circulating through the system.  That helps you crave junky foods.  BOO!!  When you wake feeling bad yet still have to perform for the day, it is less likely that you will work hard to track, cut up vegetables, prepare healthy snacks, plan dinner in advance, etc. 

Set yourself up for success long before it's time to shut your eyes for the night.  Break up stress throughout the day with mini fit breaks, meditation breaks, do nothing breaks.  Give yourself a schedule for the evening so that no pulsating blue light can emanate from your screens and keep you wakeful.  Ideally, this is two hours before you want to sleep.  Dial down the commotion, decision making, activity, lights in the house so that the late evening is more peaceful, thereby giving your body the idea that sleep is coming.  Some people like a bath or shower at the end of the day.  This too signals to your body--get ready for peaceful sleep. 

These are all ideas you may have considered before.  Have you tried them?  Now is an optimal time to discover just how much sleep you function best with.  Is it closer to seven or nine hours per night?  Now is the time to realize what kinds of decisions do you make when you wake up rested?  Is the world brighter?  Is the workout more likely?  Are the choices healthier?  Are the cravings lessened?  And mostly what about how it might link with healthy eating habits?  Let's get to the bottom of that too.

 It's time to play detective with your sleep so that you discover what really brings you more good health when you are awake!