Sleep Your Pounds Away

These days most people confide that high on their wish list is weight loss. The reasons range from fitting into skinny jeans to trying to remove some pressure off the knees to improving heart health. Some of my friends are looking for a genie in a bottle. However, there is something almost as good: Sleeping your weight away!

When you sleep through the night, your fat cells secrete a hormonal appetite suppressant called Leptin which also triggers the metabolism to burn more calories. Exactly how and why Leptin works is still not clearly understood by scientists.

Research also shows that adequate sleep (generally about 8 hours) helps you deal with daytime stress. Daily stress reaches its crescendo at night when you replay the scenarios – would have, or should have? Also, be aware that daytime stress could replay in nightmares which interfere with quality sleep – hence the benediction, “sweet dreams.”

Consequently, you might be gaining surreptitiously because of the stress-hormone cortisol which tends to deposit fat around your middle due to an increase in insulin production which will trigger cravings for sugar and carbohydrates; if you binge at night, consider this prompt. Ultimately, sleep deprivation makes you wake up tired, out of balance and the whole cycle repeats. Lack of sleep could be the tipping point for obesity and Type 2 diabetes – children too!

Here are 7 natural sleep remedies:

* Get more light during your waking hours. Afternoon sun helps reset your melatonin levels for good sleep. Even better, take a long walk because exercising your large muscle groups during the day will promote those zzzz.

* Unwind before bedtime. Find a ritual you enjoy – combine a few and create a fusion ritual to address the intense stress: reading, listening to relaxing music, visualization, a warm bath, a soothing herbal tea, stretching, etc.

* Sleep is all about trusting and letting go. Visualize letting go of your worries. See yourself in a row boat stuck at shore. Now cast off your baggage. See how your boat is lighter and able to glide on the water.

* Don’t override your biorhythms with technology. Shut the TV and stop checking your emails at least an hour before sleep. Don’t speak on the phone to an exciting, upbeat friend before going to bed.

* Transform your bedroom into a retreat; keep it cool and use blackout shades.

* Avoid eating the “night shades” close to bedtime like: eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, cheese and stimulants like sugar, chocolate and caffeinated products.

* Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time, including weekends, to habituate your body and mind.

Bonus factoid: Can you bank sleep? Studies are divided, but lean towards, “no.” However, taking a nap during the day when you are sleep deprived will improve cognitive performance and mood. Did you know that more car accidents are caused by the sleep-deprived than drunk drivers?