The Effect of Sleep on Weight Loss and How to Get Adequate Sleep Everyday

We all know that having sound sleep every night leads to being alert and energetic the next day. You don't want drowsiness spilling over into your activities such as cooking, driving, working and much more. Little do most people know, it has a strong effect on how much weight they can shed from their bodies. Therefore, this information is of particular importance to those trying to lose weight and get into shape.

Does sleep affect weight loss? Yes. If you sleep well the body's ability to burn fat is better than when it is not adequately rested, so getting adequate sleep every day is necessary in order to most efficiently achieve your desired weight loss goals.

The right amount of sleep varies from individual to individual. A person who is running a big organization will probably have to make do with five to six hours every day and will feel this is enough as they have so many work commitments. On the other hand a person who does not have much ambition or work ethic will have lots of time to sleep. According to fitness professionals the right amount of sleep is right around seven hours. This is what an average person should strive to gain every day. Did I mention that lack of proper sleep has a bad effect on health and overall well-being?

How Does sleep affect weight loss? Lack of sleep can result in the production of two vital hormones that influences the amount of fat burned by the body. One hormone is ghrelin which is produced by the cells in the stomach and pancreas. The higher its levels, the more you will experience feelings of hunger. High levels of ghrelin also results in reduced satiation while eating, making you crave more food. All this is undesirable for someone who wants to maintain a trim physique and healthy body fat percentage. When the body does not get adequate sleep, Grehlin production increases which also results in bringing down another hormone Leptin. This hormone is responsible for giving feelings of satiety after eating. When it's present in low levels, this feeling of satiation does not arise and the result is incessant pangs of hunger which cause overeating.

Those who have trouble going to sleep or who are so busy that they find it difficult to get to bed need to take steps to correct the issue One way is to set a specific time to go to bed every day. Make it a convenient timing for you and follow it every day. Also, wake up at a fixed time every morning. Once your body gets used to this pattern it will become tired just before bed time, making it easy for you to fall asleep and get up at your normal time in the morning. Do relaxing things before going to bed. Don't do anything hectic or dwell on stressful thoughts as it is going to affect your sleep. If you drink alcohol before going to sleep, your sleep quality is going to be deteriorated. Alcohol prohibits entering deep sleep and will make your body feel as it if has been deprived of sleep, even after sleeping for 7 or more hours. So select a quiet place to go to sleep and get the rest you need to make sure that poor sleep habits don't disturb you body's ability to burn fat.

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