Sleep sleep sleep!!

I would normally never even begin to associate sleep with weight loss. I always just slept for at least 10 hour a night because I liked too! But it has been suggested by studies in major academic journals that sleep loss can increase hunger and affect the body's metabolism ultimately making it more difficult to maintain or lose weight! 

They suggest that sleep loss can affect the secretion of cortisol (a hormone that helps regulate appetite) and as a result you can continue to feel hungry despite being full! Sleep loss also can increase fat storage, as it interferes with the body's ability to metabolize carbs! This can result in high levels of blood sugar which leads to the overproduction of insulin in the body and can lead to the storage of body fat.

The studies also show that the level of sleep can also affect the body's proportions of fat and muscle. Lower amounts of deep sleep has shown reduced level of growth hormones which is the hormone that helps regulate the body's fat and muscle percentage. 

So how can you improve your sleep?

• Don't eat a big meal before bedtime (approx. 2 hours before)
• Exercise during the day, not before bedtime (no more than 3 hours before), exercise helps make you feel tired, well at least for me anyway!
• Don't drink caffeine or alcohol right before bed or in the late afternoon
• Don't nap! I'm a sucker for a nana nap in the afternoon, but if you are struggling to sleep 10 hours don't do it! 
• Remove all electronics from your room, looking at a bright screen before trying to sleep wakes the brain up and makes it so much harder for you to fall asleep
• Make sure all the lights are off and it's nice and quiet
• I always read for about half an hour before I go to sleep and I find it really helps settle me down and get in the right mindset to sleep!
  
  So tonight before you go to bed, try these steps above and I promise you, you will have a much better, deeper sleep!