The talk of the town these days is best way to get rid of the excess weight you carry on your body. People will give you a range of free advice such as go on GM diet, intermittent fasting, KETO or engage in HIIT, Zumba, Cross-fit training or weight training. On the other hand, if someone were to say that getting Quality and Quantity Sleep every night is a sure way of shedding excess calories would you believe them? Well you should as they are absolutely right. Most people believe that when we sleep our body is also asleep, but this is not so. Sleeping is not a passive activity there are so many things happening within that we are unaware such as flushing of toxins through lymph nodes, consolidating memories, and helping our muscles recover and build from the wear and tear it suffered during the day.
Some facts associate with calorie burning and sleep are;
You may have so many questions whirring in your mind about how can I get the sleep that will help shed that extra calorie. Before you hit the bed to burn those pesky calories you must know the truth which is, sleep helps burn more calories only when other factors are in sync. These are;
What you eat: Having an early dinner doesn’t guarantee weight loss and neither does having it later in the evening means you will surely gain weight. The fact is Metabolic rate is impacted not by when you eat but more so with what you eat. You need to eat right i.e. avoid large meals, and food that is spicy, sugary, and high in carbs. This kind of food causes acid reflux and indigestion making it difficult to enter into the REM stage of sleep. Secondly, experts suggest that one should not consume alcohol at least 2 hours before sleeping as it also hinders the process of REM sleep. So, the first step that will help you lose calories in sleep is getting your food choices correct.
Don’t stop exercising: Just because you are burning calories in sleep doesn’t mean you quit exercising. Exercising breaks your muscle and increases the burning of calories during the day and continues burning them when you’re asleep. In REM sleep stage our body utilizes the stored energy towards repairing and building these worn muscles and tissues. So, the secret mantra to those toned arms, legs, and abs is – exercise during the day and a good sleep at night.
If you’ve got your food habits and physical activity in sync but still face sleep problem then you must check if you suffer from any sleep disorders such as RLS, Sleep Apnea, insomnia etc. as these also inhibit the sleep stage cycles.
Sleep Term of the Week
