Sleep and Weight Gain – How to sleep Better

Sleep and Weight Gain – How to Sleep Better.

Sleep is so important for a healthy happy life and I feel like sleep has been the middle child for a lot of people. It’s easy to forget to find time to rest and recharge the system. When I think of sleep I imagine it as the reset button on the super Nintendo, when things freeze up and stop working properly you try a few things including slapping the game system and blowing into as hard as you can until your start seeing stars and almost pass out. When all else fails you turn the system off for a few seconds and try again. Sleep is like a hard reset, shut everything down and start fresh.

Having trouble sleeping can be the most frustrating and painful situation to be in, feeling like you’ll never feel good again mixed with mood swings and a never ending hunger can make for a roller coaster ride of emotions and shameful eating habits. There are multiple studies that have found a connection between lack of sleep and weight gain and if you have some free time you can check those out here: SLEEP STUDY. Also lack of sleep just flat out SUCKS! Anyone can agree that not sleeping and trying to function normally are two conditions that cannot exist at the same time. But how do you sleep better? Can you really justify taking time out of your busy and uber important schedule to sleep?

First and foremost you must remember you are the single most important person in your life and you must take priority, especially if you’re an important part of other people’s lives. A parent should make sure to take care of themselves first before others to ensure they can give their best to their children. This should also apply to all of us and it’s ok to take some “me” time and that includes sleeping.

Staying up and working or being busy aren’t the only reasons people aren’t sleeping there is also a problem with actually falling asleep. How many times have you laid in bed trying to sleep but just couldn’t do it! Whether you can’t get comfortable or your brain won’t stop running a million miles per hour one way or another something was determined to keep you awake.

Here are a few tips for a better night’s sleep, these might seem simple but they are very effective:

1. Brain Dump – If you are the type of person whose brain just won’t turn off and no matter how exhausted you are you just can’t stop thinking. Take a couple of minutes before bed (or when your brain won’t stop) and write things down. This will allow you to free your mind of your thoughts and pick up where you left off in the morning.
2. Relax your body – Getting comfortable might just help you fall asleep faster. Take notice to how tight and rigid your body is when you’re going to bed and loosen up a little bit. Starting with your face relax your muscles, let go of the tension in your eyes and forehead. Relax your jaw and stop grinding your teeth. Work your way down your entire body and relax all of your muscles and let your body really sink into your bed. Take note of your breathing and inhale deeply and when you exhale really allow yourself to become more and more relaxed.

Listen to this episode of Under Ten Fitness where we discuss the importance of sleep.

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And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith