Increase Metabolism Whilst Sleeping More
Huh I hear you say, most reports advise that an important part of increasing metabolism is to perform some regular exercise and you are telling me to sleep more - you have been on the wacky weed. Let me explain.
Recent studies suggest that people who don't get enough sleep are more likely to gain weight. Dr Michael Breus, author of Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4 Week Programme to Better Sleep and Better Health advises that "With sleep deprivation we see a reduction in metabolism and an increase in appetite". This is the exact opposite to what people who are attempting to lose weight desire. Insufficient sleep lowers levels of leptin which is the hormone that causes you to feel full. Coupled with that, insufficient sleep also increases your levels of ghrelin which is the hormone that makes you feel hungry. So your brain is receiving signals that you are not full and feel hungry. I think you know what the outcome of that will be.
Dr Breus also notes that "sleep deprivation influences your food choices, making you crave high-carb and high-sugar foods. This is because sleep loss decreases insulin sensitivity. Therefore sleep plays an important role in maintaining the ideal metabolism for a person to achieve weight loss.
We are not advising you to forget about exercising and just sleep more. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is not too many shortcuts when it comes to losing weight and maintaining an exercise program must be part of losing weight.
Increasing metabolism is a combination of a number of factors and getting the correct amount of sleep is one of those factors. The correct amount of sleep can also have lots of other benefits as well including better concentration, increased problem solving skills, better memory and moods.
People are starting to realize that the secret to achieving and maintaining weight loss depends on a person increasing and maintaining an increased metabolism. Your body has to burn more calories than what it is fed for a person to lose weight. Calorie counting is hard to maintain, but teaching your body how to increase its metabolism works a lot better in the long run. It is important to pay attention to all the little things that help increase metabolism and getting the correct amount of sleep is one of those little things that need attention.
Does a diet that includes more than 3 meals per day seem like your sort of diet, and I am not talking about 4 meals of lettuce leaves? Visit Increased Metabolism for Weight Loss to view the benefits of this diet and don't forget to sleep a little longer to aid that increase in metabolism.