#193 - Stick with a Reasonable Bedtime: Health Tips for Weight Loss
Weight loss tip number 81 is for dieters who are just getting started. Coach Tadris Parker has personally tested this recommendation and a hundred other health tips commonly shared in the running and fitness world. Listen to the audio clip below to hear his take on why you should stick with a reasonable bedtime. Learn all about this at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You!
Research shows that the later you stay up at night, the more likely you are to consume more calories throughout the course of the day. (You can't have a midnight snack if you're going to bed at 10:30 pm)
Tip 81. Stick with a Reasonable Bedtime (weight loss)
If you’re trying to improve the quality of your life through health and weight loss, you should take inventory of your sleeping patterns. Do you stay awake too late or wake up really early to exercise? A holistic approach to health means you’re not only eating well and working out, but you’re also getting enough sleep and protecting your mental health. Stick with a reasonable bedtime to support your exercise and weight loss goals and you will be an all-around happier, healthier person.
Sleep Deprivation Ruins Lives
The average adult needs seven to eight hours of sleep each day in order to function at peak performance. Kids and teens require even more sleep because they’re still developing. The table below shows recommendations by age from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Despite knowing that grownups need 8+ hours of restful sleep daily and growing kids need ten or more, an alarming number of people are regularly going through life while morbidly sleep deprived. Nearly 40% of adults report falling asleep during the day without meaning to at least once a month. An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic, or ongoing, sleep disorders. (NIH)
Microsleep
If you’re spacing out and chronically disengaged because you’re exhausted, you may be slipping into a “microsleep” stage, as explained by the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. Bouts of microsleep are common for those working a night shift, those who have a sleep disorder, and those who stay up too late - whether by choice to play video games or watch movies, or by the inability to fall asleep early.
A Reasonable Bedtime Helps You Lose Weight
Sleep deprivation has a serious impact on your life and it’s directly tied to weight gain, thanks to specific changes in behavior AND biology. Exhausted people tend to overeat and are inclined to choose low nutrition foods. Those who stay up too late are more likely to overeat at night and binge on sodium-heavy energy drinks to help them stay awake for the day. There’s a hormonal imbalance that goes along with sleep deprivation which causes an increased appetite and decreased impulse control over food. Insufficient sleep is associated with higher levels of the hormone ghrelin, which increases appetite, and lower levels of the hormone leptin, which leads to feeling less full. This sets people up to gain weight.
Harvard University published an article on this topic based on a study from last year. The study found that getting adequate sleep is key to balancing appetite-regulating hormones. There were two groups of people analyzed, and one group slept for one hour longer than the other group each day of the study. The better rested group adopted better eating habits. They consumed an average of 270 fewer calories each day and lost about a pound compared to the control group, who gained weight instead - almost one pound each.
Ten Tips for Getting More Sleep
Sleep deprivation ruins lives and can impair you in a similar fashion to drugs and alcohol. Feeling tired and sluggish and falling asleep at random times is virtually guaranteed to interfere with work, school, driving, and social functioning. Your mental state and your relationships will suffer if you are constantly sleep deprived.
Here are ten tips to help you get more sleep:
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. For children, have a set bedtime and a bedtime routine.
Try to keep the same sleep schedule on weeknights and weekends. Limit the difference to no more than about an hour. Staying up late and sleeping in late on weekends can disrupt your body clock's sleep-wake rhythm.
Use the hour before bed for quiet time. Avoid intense exercise and bright artificial light, such as from a TV or computer screen. The light may signal the brain that it's time to be awake.
Avoid heavy or large meals within a few hours of bedtime. Also, avoid alcoholic drinks before bed.
Avoid nicotine (for example, cigarettes) and caffeine (including caffeinated soda, coffee, tea, and chocolate). Nicotine and caffeine are stimulants, and both substances can still interfere with sleep up to 8 hours later.
Spend time outside every day and be physically active.
Keep your bedroom quiet, cool, and dark (a dim night light is fine, if needed).
Take a hot bath or use relaxation techniques before bed.
Try lavender - it’s a soothing scent but can also be ingested in the form of a tea or herbal supplement
Stick with a reasonable bedtime - don’t waste the night doing chores or binge watching TV. Get your beauty sleep!
PS: I hope you enjoyed this blog post and podcast. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below.
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Lastly, Coach Tadris is running for charity in 2023. The charity of choice is Autism Speaks, please consider making a difference by donating to this special cause. Each dollar can make a difference. Thank You!
At Keep Calm and Run To The Best You, we are actively helping people from all walks of life to get healthier and happier in the body they’ve got! We’ve collected advice from professionals, combed through archives, and gathered insights from our group members. Click here to see the rest of our 101 health tips about running, intermittent fasting, and weight loss.
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