The Importance of Sleep in Weight Loss


f you are seeking to lose a few pounds, you may or may not have heard about how important it is to get enough sleep. This article will provide the specific reasons why sleep is important in trying to lose weight and how it will aid you in your weight-loss endeavor.
Sleep helps the body with metabolism. Metabolism is the rate at which food is taken in, processed, and digested by the body. People with slow metabolisms and fast metabolisms can eat the same amount of food and achieve different results. Sleeping regularly aids the body in metabolizing food by making it easier for the body to store energy broken down from food.
Sleeping helps keep insulin levels down. You need not be a diabetic to understand the importance of healthy insulin levels- you need only be seeking to lose weight. Healthy insulin levels help the body break down sugars, thus preventing them from being stored as excess fats.
Sleep also helps keep leptin levels normal. Leptin plays a key role on energy expenditure, and helps keep the body regular in terms of hormonal balance and in terms of levels of exhaustion. Like many neurological chemicals, it important to have a healthy balance of leptin.
Sleep also prevents insulin resistance, which is important in preventing diabetes and other blood-glucose disorders. Insulin resistance leads to a storage of sugars as body fat. By preventing insulin resistance, you prevent the aggregation of excess sugars in the body as fat.
Sleeping regularly helps maintain a healthy blood pressure. This is important, because the movement of the blood and other circulation-related functions help the body filter out waste.
Sleeping regularly also helps to keep the risk of heart disease low, because it lowers the heart rate and allows the body to repair itself.
Sleep helps give the brain a chance to relax, reboot, and reprogram. This is important, especially in reducing stress. It also helps improve mood, and thus makes it easier to have a positive outlook on life, physical activity, and otherwise restrictive diets.
Sleep helps the body replenish its energy store, thus lowering cravings for carbohydrates-- a prime energy source. By lowering carbohydrate cravings, you lessen the chances of having excess carbs stored in the body.
Sleep also slows the rate of fat storage. This is particularly important in losing weight, as fat storage is particularly undesirable. Additionally, by lowering the rate of fat storage, the rate of waste removal increases, and the body benefits through the detoxification process.
Sleep is very important in overall health, not just weight loss. Healthy sleeping patterns help the body to perform at peak physical condition and therefore helps you perform at your best in any and all aspects, including cognitively, athletically, socially, et cetera.
It is imperative that you get enough sleep, both during and not during weight loss periods. Using the advice in this article will aid you in deciding when to go to sleep, particularly during weight-loss periods. Choosing to sleep over not sleeping is an important decision but may be the one that looses you the most weight.

Some Weight Loss Tips to Lose The Extra Pounds

Want to lose those extra pounds? Well, you're not alone on your dilemma. According to the WHO website, obesity statistics worldwide have reached 1.4 billion in 2008 (adults), while around 40 million children aged no more than 5 years are found obese in 2010. Here are some healthy weight loss tips to shed those excess fats.
Watch what you eat.
This is probably the most common tip, but one that is constantly failed by many. If you want to lose weight, it's important to take control of your diet and nutrition. Knowing how much calories you consume per day can be a bit tiresome at first, but the knowledge can help you a lot in the process. Keeping a food diary is ideal to take note of your daily food consumption - you'll be surprised with how much and what types of food you consume per day!
Make lifestyle changes.
Are you a couch potato, or you're simply too "tired" to do some physical work to exercise regularly? While weight loss diets may be effective for some time, you can't make the most of your weight loss plan if you keep on doing your unhealthy habits. Besides, diets are not the answer to your weight loss goal - they're very short-term to start with. Making changes on your lifestyle and daily habit is the key towards a healthier and more effective weight loss. Cut down on your fats, carbs, and calories (and make this your long-term goal from now on), and start incorporating workout programs (or alternative activities you can do) to continuously burn down fats or simply maintain your ideal weight.
Find or create your support group.
Sometimes, your own motivation and enthusiasm aren't enough to keep you going. Take a support buddy with you or join a group that also has the same goal as yours - to lose weight. Continuously updating and motivating each other to reduce weight and maintain healthy lifestyles can really help you a lot on your objective. You can even find some modern and highly effective tips shared by other people who face the same problem.
Should you go into weight loss supplements?
Weight loss supplements such as MuscleWerks D-Fine 8 are fine, to some extent. There are some reminders you have to keep in mind should you decide to take this route. First off, many of these products are effective, but that doesn't mean you need to depend entirely on their weight loss benefits. If you continue on your unhealthy lifestyle and food consumption, the effects of these products are only temporary. Besides, they are just intended to supplement your nutrition plan, exercise program, and your lifestyle. Before you buy any product, make sure to check their effectiveness and reported disadvantages. Only go for government-approved products sold at reputable shops online or locally. And of course, don't forget to consult with your GP to know if you are fit and safe to use such supplements.
Lose weight safely and feel good about yourself through the help of effective weight loss supplements like MuscleWerks D-Fine 8. Check out NutritionWarehouse for more info about this product and related supplements online.
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Don't Let Your Weight Loss Progress Defeat You

After weeks and weeks of exercising, diet control and little or no result, it is easy to give-up and abandon your weight management goal; but, don't. Your success may not be easily observable to you or others, but let me tell you, if you have been consistent in executing your exercise routine and managing your diet you have already been successful. Heck, just sticking to a particular diet or exercise routine is a great testimony of success.
But I know if you're 200 lbs going in and after 4 weeks you are still at 200 lbs or maybe even weighing slightly more than your initial weight you will not be pleased or at all encouraged; and I can't blame you because the majority of us start a weight management program primarily to lose weight. However, please understand that weight loss progress is only one measure of the overall success of any weight management program.
Other indices of weight management success include:
1. Perseverance: Have we been able to maintain a particular healthy lifestyle for a substantially extended period. That is have we been able to quit smoking, drinking or simply maintain a healthy diet?
2. Prevention: Have we been able to prevent any further deterioration in any health condition as a result of your weight control efforts. Hypertension, diabetes, etc; have you been able to thwart their further development?
3. Weight Gain: Did we stop your weight from increasing any further or have you reduced the rate of increase?
4. Fat Storage: Did you stop your body from storing any additional fat by eating the right types and amounts of food?
5. Fat Burning: Did you elevate your body's fat burning capacity through your diet and exercise regimen?
6. Exercise Reps: Can you exercise for longer periods and complete more reps now compared to when you initially began your regimen?
7. Medical Adjustments: Were you able to reduce the amount of medication you take daily e.g. hypertension medication?
8. Feelings: Do you generally feel better about yourself, both physically and psychologically?
9. Sleep: Do you sleep more peacefully now?
10. Energy: Do you generally feel more energetic now than weeks ago when you first began your weight management program?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you are succeeding and are well on the way to achieving your weight loss goal.
The factors delineated in the above questions are additional parameters that should be considered when analyzing the success of any weight management program. As you can see, many of these are not immediately observable to the naked eyes but they are just as significant as the more outwardly observable weight loss index. If your weight loss program generally makes you feel better and helps you prevent the advancement of common ailments like high blood pressure and diabetes then I think whatever the program one can conclude that it has been a success.
So don't give-up. You may not see the particular result you're looking for right now, but if you continue to persevere your success will come. In the mean time, remember that you're already succeeding in many other areas so continue the good job.
This article is part of a comprehensive series of articles on hypertension. If you would like to read further, please visit http://naturalbptreatments.siterubix.com. As you might guess from the name the emphasis is on the application of natural remedies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Des_Forbes

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