Did you know that a poor nights sleep can affect your weight loss.
Studies show that when you get less than 6-8 hours of sleep a night then you are more likely to feel tired, lethargic and hungry. In turn you end up not exercising and eating a ton of sugary snacks to get your energy up.
Here are my top 10 tips to getting a better snooze!
1. DITCH THE CELL PHONE That's right....plug it in and put it across the room so that you are not tempted to look at it. This was the hardest thing for me, because I'm a pinterest scroller before bedtime. But after reading how much it really does affect your brain with winding down at night, I decided it was time to make the move!
2. LESS CAFFEINE Sure you may feel drained initially, but once you start sleeping better, you won't have that problem anymore!
3. COOLER SLEEPING PLACE Your body temperature decreases naturally as you start winding down for sleep. Having a cool bedroom to sleep in with cozy blankets can aid in that process!
4. MAINTAIN A REGULAR SLEEPING PATTERN This one may be hard for shift workers, but those who have a steady shift, you should strive to lay down at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning....regardless of whether or not you work that day. This will help your body build a routine.
5. USE THE BED FOR SLEEPING ONLY If you do work in bed, eat in bed, watch television in bed, then your body won't be conditioned for sleeping when it's in this area. When you crawl into bed, make it for sleep only.
6. TURN THE CLOCK AROUND Research has proven that when you are anxious about waking at a certain time, having a clock in site raises that anxiety and makes it more difficulty for you to fall asleep. Be sure to have all clocks out of site.
7. EXERCISE
Getting exercise has many benefits, of course. But did you know it can also help the quality of your sleep as well? Yep! Those who are more sedentary tend to get less rest throughout the night. Those who are active for at least 30 minutes a day tend to fall into a deeper and higher quality sleep!
8. DEVELOP A ROUTINE
Dinner, Walk, Shower, Read, Bed. Just like children, we need to train our bodies to follow a schedule and they will adapt accordingly! This way your body will be conditioned that once that chapter is complete, you'll be crawling into bed for some sleep!
9. DO NOT EAT 2 - 3 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME Eating right before laying down for sleep can delay digestion and cause an upset stomach. Typically you wake with nausea and sometimes pain. Your body is put under more stress for the digestion process and it doesn't get the full amount of rejuvenating it needs overnight!
10. LIMIT WATER CONSUMPTION 2 - 3 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME Hydration is important during the day, but I'd cap it off a couple hours before bedtime. Interrupting that deep sleep to empty your bladder is never something that you want to do when you have an early wake up call!