Want to know a common mistake nearly EVERYONE makes in the bedroom that is absolutely killing their metabolism? The mistake I am talking about: impaired sleep In fact, evidence now shows that if you have a choice between exercise and sleep for your health and waistline, hands down, sleep is the winner... Here are the 5 reasons why: =================== Reason #1: Skyrockets Cravings ==================== Not getting enough sleep makes you RAVENOUSLY hungry and skyrockets your cravings for the worst food possible during your waking hours. Another study published in the Public Library of Science shows impaired sleep causes a 15.5% drop in leptin levels (your “I’m full” hormone) . …It also causes the hormones that cause cravings to go UP by 14.9%. In other words, you’ll crave BAD foods and wake up hungrier than you should. If that wasnt bad enough, impaired sleep also gets you addicted to the WORST foods possible, driving your cravings for sugar, sweets and sugary carbs (breads, pasta, etc.) through the roof. ==================== Reason #2: Suppresses Thyroid & Slows Metabolic Rate ==================== When you dont get enough shut-eye and leptin goes down, this also causes your thyroid sensitivity to go down at the same exact time, which causes your metabolic rate to PLUNGE. But it gets even worse because the majority of fat burning processes actually happens when you sleep. During sleep, leptin triggers specialized calorie-burning fat cells that help you burn up excess calories, which you dont need. So when you don’t get enough shuteye, you deprive yourself of the most PRIME fat burning window of your day. ==================== Reason #3: Decreases Insulin Sensitivity ==================== Sleep deprivation also depresses how sensitive your cells are to insulin. If you are LESS insulin sensitive, you need to crank out MORE insulin to clear any excess blood sugar that may be floating around. And more insulin causes the food you eat to turn into ugly fat by locking fat in your fat cells so it cant be released or burned. Not to mention, lack of sleep fires up your stress hormone cortisol, which has been directly linked to excess belly fat. ==================== Reason #4 Causes Brain Fog and Impairs Cognitive Function ==================== Impaired sleep also damages your brain, cognitive abilities and mood. Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, a professor of neurosurgery at University of Rochester, completed a study showing that when we sleep our brain flushes out potent neurotoxins (brain toxins). Without adequate sleep this leads to brain fog, impaired memory, wild mood swings, and trouble focusing. Over time, this also puts you at risk of developing age-related diseases such Alzheimers. ===================== Reason #5 Ages You FASTER and Makes You Look Older ===================== Ever see someone who hasnt gotten a good nights sleep in a few days? They look totally ragged, wasted...and strangely enough, they even look OLDER. Thats because lack of good sleep ages you FASTER by robbing you of the small window of opportunity during which your primary youth hormone works its magic. I’m talking about growth hormone -- your master rejuvenation hormone that’s primarily released while you sleep, helping you re-build and repair, while keeping you looking young. Aside from making your skin ragged, wrinkly and dry, lack of growth hormone also dramatically alters your body composition, shifting it to store MORE fat and build LESS muscle -- NOT what you want. So heres my 4-step formula to getting more sleep and cranking up your metabolic engine naturally: Step 1: Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each week until you get to 7-8 hours of sleep at least 5 days of your week. Step 2: Make your bedroom completely dark, which maximizes your hormonal response and puts you to sleep faster. Step 3: Calm down your brain before bed -- no TV, no internet, no exercise, nothing for at least 90 minutes before hitting the hay. Step 4: Eat at least 2 hours before bedtime. While eating before bed won’t necessarily make you fat, it can block potential fat burning by raising insulin levels before bed (which can also block potential growth hormone production during sleep). So dont underestimate how important sleep is!
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:40:26 +0000
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