What's more important for weight loss... diet, exercise, or sleep?

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We all know that proper diet and exercise are pillars of good health and essential for maintaining a healthy body weight. We also know that sleep is good for us, but it’s often given less importance when we are factoring it into our weight loss efforts. Even with the very best diet and fitness routine, if sleep is off, you are wrecked.

            

“WE ARE NOT HEALTHY UNLESS OUR SLEEP IS HEALTHY”



Sleeping well directly affects your mental and physical health. Unhealthy day time habits and lifestyle choices can leave you tossing and turning at night, and adversely affect your mood, brain, heart health, immune system, creativity, vitality and weight.




TIRED OF TOSSING AND TURNING AT NIGHT?



These simple tips will help you sleep better and be more energetic and productive during the day.

  • Control your exposure to light.

  • Say no to late night television shows.

  • Exercise during the day time.

  • Be smart what you eat and drink

  • Cut back on sugary foods and refined carbs.

  • Limit caffeine and nicotine.

  • Avoid big meals at night.

  • Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening (Frequent urination).  

  • Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time everyday.

  • Be smart about napping

  • Start  the day with healthy breakfast.

  • Don't skip your breakfast.


POINTS TO REMEMBER: Napping is a good way to make up for lost sleep, if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night. Napping can make things worse. Limit naps to 15-20 mins in the early afternoon.


Skipping breakfast can delay your blood sugar rhythms, lower your energy and increase your stress factors that may disrupt sleep.


Regular exercise improves the symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea.


Dinner drowsiness- If you get sleepy way before bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating such as washing the dishes, getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.


Prefer dim lights -Your brain secretes more melatonin(hormone) when it is dark-making you sleepy. Bright lights -Makes you more alert.

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