“Sleep hygiene” is a phrase used to describe how you need to regularly take care of your sleep, just like you regularly take a shower. The best diet and exercise plans can be easily derailed if sleep is neglected. So, just like your personal hygiene is a priority, sleep should be a top priority too.
Conditions That Affect Your Sleep
Medical researchers say that poor sleep is one of the most prevalent problems encountered in society. Some factors that contribute to poor sleep include the following:
- Staying up too late and/or getting up too early on a regular basis
- Consuming stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, or excessive amounts of sugar throughout the day
- Over-stimulation in the evening hours
- And of course that big monster under the bed, STRESS!
Impacts of Poor Sleep Hygiene
Poor sleep can have a number of negative effects that may ripple throughout a person’s entire life.
- Constant fatigue
- A tendency to be moody
- Lack of concentration
- Loss of coordination
- Dependency on stimulants
- Difficulty in interpersonal relationships
- Eating problems including binge eating or loss of appetite
Sleep and Weight Loss
Without getting into some good sleep routines, all of the work you put in at your San Jose Personal Training Studio will go down the drain! When the body is deprived of sleep, a person will be more likely to binge eat, late-night eat and may even lack the energy necessary to get out there and exercise! Getting into a normal sleep routine can help promote weight loss.
Our recommendation: Create good sleep habits. According to recent research, you should aim for eight or more hours of shuteye per night. Your body and mind will both benefit drastically. Here are some great tips to get you going:
1. Set a Schedule and Stick to It
Our bodies crave routine. This is especially true when it comes to sleeping patterns. Set a realistic bed time and wake time each day. Try to stick with it on workdays, weekends – all the time. One study mentioned that even one day off schedule puts you at a 30% increased chance of being overweight. It’s not worth it! So even if you’re tempted to stay up that extra hour to be more ‘productive,’ make it a habit to shut your brain off and get to bed.
2. Develop Good Eating Habits
Your daily food intake and your ability to sleep go hand-in-hand. To promote healthy sleep, you have to not only eat healthier, but also smarter. Be careful not to eat too heavy of a meal before going to bed and try to not eat within two hours of your set bed time. Another thing to watch our for is sugary, spicy, and oily snacks right before bed; these bad boys are going to fuel that fire which will keep you laying awake until the wee hours of the morning.
Check out our blog “Meal Prep 101: Save Time, Lose Weight, Reduce Stress.”
3. Avoid Substances Before Bed
We’re not talking illegal drugs here (although we don’t recommend those either!). We’re talking about the substances which some of us might consume on a daily basis: Caffeine, Alcohol, Nicotine, and Sugar. Stimulants like caffeine and sugar, for example, can keep the body pumped up, preventing sleep entirely. Nicotine and alcohol can get in the way of a person enjoying a truly restful night’s sleep by affecting your nightly REM patterns.
4. Get Physical
Exercise plays a huge role in getting a restful night’s sleep! Any exercise throughout the day, not just at night, can help to burn off extra energy and reduce the amount of stress hormones in our blood which may keep us awake. Here’s to another reason for getting our butts out of bed in the morning to move our bodies!
Find a local fitness studio that offers challenging, but accessible group classes. The best contain a combination of strength exercises and cardio (like the ones we offer at Method3 Fitness). The alternative is to hire a San Jose personal trainer, who can lead you through workouts tailored to your needs.
Check out our blog titled “7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Personal Trainer.”
The main take away here is that you need regular sleep so that those fitness and weight loss goals can be thoroughly achieved!
I know that even I can take some of these tips to optimize my body and mind! And I want to hear what YOU are going to do in the next week to change up some of these habits so leave me a comment below!
Stronger for Today,
The Method3 Fitness Team
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The Method3 Fitness blog is updated weekly. All content is designed to improve the way you move, eat, and think so you can achieve your goals and live stronger for today. Check back here each week and LIKE our Fan Page, to stay up to date on the latest tips, strategies and methods to get fit, lose fat, and build confidence. Ready to get started with us? Click here to get a free week of workouts!