Every night it is essential to sleep at least 7 hours. Why? First of all, do you ever find yourself staying up late and feeling really hungry? It’s easy to give in and eat something unhealthy really late at night which leads to weight gain. Sleeping at an appropriate time helps to curb your appetite. Also studies have shown that people who exercise and sleep the correct amount of hours burn more fat than people who are sleep deprived. When you don’t sleep enough, your body doesn’t use insulin properly. Excess insulin stores fat and leads to weight gain and a higher risk for diabetes. When you’re tired, it is easy to grab a bag of chips or a candy bar because in your mind it is the easy solution to more energy but eating these types of foods have a long lasting effect on your health and your fitness goals.
When you’re tired, it is hard to get the most out of your workouts. You’ll feel fatigued or even want to skip workouts because you’re simply too sleepy. Also your body will slow the production of growth hormones, which are involved in fat burning, anti-aging, and recovery. If you’re putting in the hours exercising, you also need to put in the hours at night sleeping for the maximum results.
So maybe you’re sleeping the correct amount of hours, but you aren’t feeling rested. Quality of sleep is also crucial to weight loss. In order to improve your quality of sleep avoid any caffeine after the morning hours. Also watch what you eat for dinner and before bed. Healthy snacks and light meals can help to improve sleep quality vs meals high in fat which may cause you discomfort. Also don’t forget to exercise! If you are giving maximum effort during your workouts, your body will crave sleep. Get to know your body and figure out what daily patterns work for you. Sweet dreams!