Tag Archives: Benefits of Sleep

Sleep and Lose Weight?

Yes… it is possible to lose or gain weight while you sleep!  This based on daily calorie intake, exercise and what are you eating at dinner and before you go to bed.

Eating a bowl of popcorn, potato chips and drinking a coke one hour before you go to bed will help you gain a few calories while you sleep, as opposed to eating an orange or a banana.

Sleep in of itself allows the growth hormone to adequately work on tissue and cellular repair, resulting in burned calories for the individual.  For example, a woman that is 5’5″ (163 cm), that sleeps 7 hours, will burn approximately 489 calories.  A man with the height of 5′ 10″ (1,75 cm), that sleeps for 7 hours, burns approximately 540 calories.

Additional weightloss can be promoted while we’re sleeping by slightly raising  our metabolism a few ours before bedtime.  Complete your exercise regiment 3-4 hours before bedtime, so that you are not so stimulated that you are unable to rest, yet you’ve promoted your metabolism to function at a higher rate.  Additionally, have dinner  4 hours before going to bed so that your dinner stays in your duodenum, the first part of the small intestine for 4 hours (before moving onto  the second part of the small intestine). If you digest food closer to your bedtime it will result in a restless sleep pattern for you.

To encourage weightloss, dinner should include 4oz  (114g) of protein: Fish, Poultry, Pork, or Lean Beef. Accompanied by 3 servings of vegetables and a fruit.  (1 serving of bread or pasta optional).  A serving of fruit or vegetables is the equivalent of a 1/2 cup, salads are 1 cup for a serving. 

Dinner (example)      

Begin with a glass of water 10-15 minutes before eating your meal. Promotes hydration and slows down eating, contributes to satiety (feeling full at end of meal).                                    

4 oz salmon

salad with 1/2 cup tomatoes (vinaigrette dressing 1-2 tbsp)

bowl of lentil soup (Optional: add 1 cup cooked pasta.)

1 medium orange

1 oz or 28 g of walnuts

Glass of wine

Nutrition facts: 1-Protein, 2-Omega 3 (alimentary fat, great for the HEART!!), 5-Fiber, 1-bread optional

(If opting for pasta (60 g), mix in 1/2 to 1 cup steamed or sauteed vegetable.  May pass with crushed nuts or Parmesan Cheese.)

Wine has also been linked to weightloss, because of it’s active polyphenols/antioxidants that work hard to get rid of toxins in the body.  Red wine is a great source of Vitamin C and E.  A few of their benefits contribute to the health of our skin and eyes.

By Kimberly Crocker

Sleep for longevity, diet, beauty, health, memory

  After recently reading an interesting article on “The Benefits of Sleep”,  I reflected on the time that I lived in Italy.  Certain facts about various diets and their cultures should be embraced and put into practice .  Although diet is an important factor when it comes to longevity,  it also seems that other variables, such as sleep need to be considered as well. Is it possible that these populations within Italy, Costa Rica, Japan and Greece, which have been linked to longevity, diet, beauty, health and memory could know something about the benefits of sleep? 

Sleep is something valued and apart of their daily routines and according to the study an attribute to longevity.  The work day in Latin cultures begin between 8-9 am.  Lunch is at 1-2 pm followed by a “siesta”, with their workday being recommenced at 4-4:30pm.  They return home for a walk at 8-8:30 pm and a small dinner at 9-9:30 pm.  Of course, certain industrialized cities may require you to skip your siesta and to work  from  9 am -7 pm.  The purpose of sleep and reduced stress is valued nonetheless.

Sleep is also linked to proper nutritional intake.  For example, the two hormones affected by sleep deprivation are related to eating: gherlin, which tells you to eat and leptin, which tells you when you are full!  Lack of sleep will confuse the hormones and you will overeat, because of the decrease in leptin function.  Additionally, cortisol levels increase and your metabolism slows down.

Dr. Michael Breus PhD and author of “Beauty Sleep”, discusses the fact of sleep deprivation halting the nutrients level of activity in the skin, therefore, you wake up pale and washed out.  While sleeping, the growth hormone is performing tissue and cellular repair, allowing for a decreased amount of wrinkles and and attribution to looking refreshed.

Other studies have shown an 21% increase in mortality rates of women who did not get 7-8 hours of sleep.  Research reveals that decreased sleep is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes and depression.

Scientists have suggested that sleep allows for your brain to “sort out short-term memories into other areas so that it’s ready to take in more the next day. It maybe the way the brain rebuilds  and strengthens it’s circuits says neuro-scientist Marcos Frank PhD.

So what do you think about sleep and how does it positively or negatively effect your life and daily routines?

By Kimberly Crocker

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