العربيةWe’ve heard of beauty sleep – but how about a lean-body sleep?
Researchers say that how much you sleep and quite possibly the quality of your sleep may silently orchestrate a symphony of hormonal activity tied to your appetite. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite while leptin, produced in fat cells, announces to the brain to block appetite. When sleep is restricted leptin levels go down and ghrelin levels go up. Sufficient rest and convalescence effectively reduces our stress hormone, known as cortisol. When we don’t sleep enough cortisol levels rise. This hormone controls our appetite, often making us feel hungry even if we eat enough.
It also raises blood sugar and insulin levels which result in high fat deposition around the abdomen. High levels of cortisol lead to difficulty in falling or remaining asleep and have detrimental effects on the thyroid gland and metabolism. Our growth hormone levels naturally decrease with age causing an increase in abdominal fat and leading to a vicious cycle of fatigue and higher cortisol levels.
How can we enjoy our sleep and make it more restful?
Before getting in a panic and rushing to find a chemical solution in the nearby pharmacy, I prefer you trying the following tips below which will not only improve the sleep, but also make you slim and fresh in a long, healthy life!
1. Get enough sleep: Because shorter sleep cycles are associated with an elevated risk of diabetes II, weight-gain, heart disease and stroke!
If sleep is insufficient, the cortisol and hunger hormones both surge, causing an increase in insulin and reducing the fat-burning and appetite controlling hormones. Most sleep experts agree that 7 to 8 hours a night is optimal. However, some people may require more or less sleep than others. I say sleep at night to allow the optimal gland secretion and worry about defending your body in the daylight hours!
2. Stress-free sleep: the most important aim for getting slimmer. Some herbs are good relaxants and can be used one hour before sleep:
- Mint: This natural herbal sleep aid is my favourite choice for patients who tend to wake up throughout the night, for highly stressed individuals, or for menopausal women with hot flashes that cause sleep disruption. Take 250 ml tea before the regular bedtime.
- Aniseed: is the herb of choice for insomnia. It aids the transition into restful sleep without the narcotic hangover sometimes associated with sleep medications. As an antispasmodic, it is helpful in treating tension and stress. Aniseed extracts have been studied for their potential ability to decrease anxiety and prolong sleeping time. Take 250 ml tea twice daily.
- Chamomile: ideal for night time worrying. It influences the inappropriate release of stress hormones and protects the brain from the negative effects of cortisol. Take 250 ml regularly one hour before bedtime.
3. The darker the better: When light hits your skin it disrupts the production of melatonin, a hormone essential to healthy sleep patterns, which helps reduce the negative effects of cortisol. Even a small amount of light anywhere on the skin can cause a decrease in melatonin levels, which affects sleep and interferes with weight loss. According to a recent study, exposure to electrical light between dusk and bedtime strongly suppresses melatonin levels.
Results showed exposure to room light before bedtime shortened melatonin duration by about 90 minutes when compared to dim light exposure. Furthermore, exposure to room light during the usual hours of sleep suppressed melatonin by greater than 50 percent! This means wearing an eye mask is not enough. You must sleep in total darkness – in fact, I recommend getting specially made curtains to keep out outside light.
4. Keep it light and loose: Beside feeling comfy, sleeping cloths and blankets can actually help you sleep better. Tight-fitting clothing at bedtime or using heavy blankets raises your body temperature, which has been proven to reduce the secretion of melatonin and growth hormones.
5. Exercise early in the day: A late-night workout – especially a cardio session – raises body temperature significantly preventing the release of melatonin. It can also interfere with the ability to fall asleep since it usually increases noradrenalin, dopamine and cortisol which stimulate your brain activity.
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