Sleep to Shed the Pounds
At least 33% of Americans are not getting quality sleep, when that number is zoomed in on the African American community it grows to 46%. Environmental factors such as neighborhood traffic, stressors or needing working multiple jobs/side hustles affects the amount and quality of sleep we get. On a short-term basis, missing a few nights of sleep happens, but when it becomes the norm it puts you at risk of holding excessive body fat and deadly heart disease.
Luckily getting adequate sleep helps us avoid many health issues and access our energy powerhouses, which helps us have a balanced approach to our diet and efficiently burn more calories. According the research published in the National Institute of Health, sleep affects the regulation of hormones that influence our appetite and how what we eat is digested. If you want to get more sleep in your week, here are three ways to approach the problem and find a solution that works for you.
Problem Solver One
Set a bedtime routine. Sit down one day and reflect on your schedule. Honestly answer when you have to wake up and when you can go to sleep and then give yourself one hour before that to wind down. Cut off electronics, prepare for the next day, do your hygiene and beauty routine. Put yourself in the going to bed mindset so that you can alleviate the mental activity you generated from your high-powered day.
Bonus
Map out a health routine with your health coach to see where you can fit your long-term fitness goals into your evening.
Problem Solver Two
Relax your body. A mental relaxation routine is truly boosted when you incorporate some type of stretching or gentle exercise into your sleep routine. Try this on for size.
Get into a comfortable position in your bed.
Scan the parts of your body from toe to the top of your head. Slowly identify the parts and focus on tensing then fully relaxing that part. You’d go from toe to foot to calf and so on, getting as detailed as you can think.
Breathe deeply into the parts you are focus on and relish in the full-body relaxation session.
Problem Solver Three
See a sleep specialist. If you have a good bedtime routine and often go to bed relaxed, you may want to see a doctor and then a sleep specialist. Sometimes fatigue could come from a vitamin deficiency or sleep apnea, which is often tied to snoring.
Beyond those quick tips, having a healthy cardiovascular exercise routine is integral to given your body the oxygen it needs and the access to get the oxygen it needs while your sleeping. A healthy lifestyle is the basis of healthy sleep, from nutrition to exercise. If you’re ready to take the next personalized step for your health success, but need the extra boost, consider getting a health coach to create a plan of action specific to you.