Sleep problems can either be self-inflicted, either by believing
that you only need a few hours sleep or your life is so busy that you
can't afford to waste time sleeping. Shift workers have a real problem
as their body clock never quite knows whether it's day or night. This is
a similar feeling to jet lag.
True insomnia is like the plague. It very frustrating, it creates stress, fatigue and makes you sick.
If you have a few bad sleeps you can cope with it, but if you suffer from chronic poor sleep then you will suffer in three important ways.
1. Simply put, when you are tired you don't have enough energy. Consequently you don't exercise. Plus most people who suffer from chronic fatigue states don't look after their diet and eat more junk food.
You come home from a busy day, there is not enough energy for exercise and cooking a nutritious meal is out of the question. Most poor sleepers just want to get to bed, but they still don't sleep well.
2. Sleep deprivation causes your metabolism is slow down, you burn fat more slowly, you deposit fat at a higher rate. The longer it goes on the fatter you become.
3. Poor sleep causes stress. Stress causes an elevation in cortisol. High cortisol causes your Melatonin levels to fall which causes more sleepless nights.
Cortisol is a stress hormone and a consequence of excess adrenalin. Melatonin is your natural sleep inducing hormone. Normally your Cortisol is naturally higher in the morning. This gets you out of bed and wakes you up.
Late in the day your cortisol lowers and melatonin kicks in making you sleepy. If this all happens you have good energy during the day and sleep well at night. You can see how this is a problem for shift workers and those who frequently fly internationally.
A bi-product of elevated Cortisol is an increased desire to eat carbohydrates. Rarely do stressed people eat loads of broccoli, but frequently it's chocolate and other sugar snacks.
To lose weight by sleeping better, the first thing you need to do is to manage your stress, this is your best way to sleep better. Creating a good sleeping environment, avoiding alcohol in the late evening, regular exercise and being sensible about how much you can realistically achieve in a day will all help you to successfully lose weight.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Newton
True insomnia is like the plague. It very frustrating, it creates stress, fatigue and makes you sick.
If you have a few bad sleeps you can cope with it, but if you suffer from chronic poor sleep then you will suffer in three important ways.
1. Simply put, when you are tired you don't have enough energy. Consequently you don't exercise. Plus most people who suffer from chronic fatigue states don't look after their diet and eat more junk food.
You come home from a busy day, there is not enough energy for exercise and cooking a nutritious meal is out of the question. Most poor sleepers just want to get to bed, but they still don't sleep well.
2. Sleep deprivation causes your metabolism is slow down, you burn fat more slowly, you deposit fat at a higher rate. The longer it goes on the fatter you become.
3. Poor sleep causes stress. Stress causes an elevation in cortisol. High cortisol causes your Melatonin levels to fall which causes more sleepless nights.
Cortisol is a stress hormone and a consequence of excess adrenalin. Melatonin is your natural sleep inducing hormone. Normally your Cortisol is naturally higher in the morning. This gets you out of bed and wakes you up.
Late in the day your cortisol lowers and melatonin kicks in making you sleepy. If this all happens you have good energy during the day and sleep well at night. You can see how this is a problem for shift workers and those who frequently fly internationally.
A bi-product of elevated Cortisol is an increased desire to eat carbohydrates. Rarely do stressed people eat loads of broccoli, but frequently it's chocolate and other sugar snacks.
To lose weight by sleeping better, the first thing you need to do is to manage your stress, this is your best way to sleep better. Creating a good sleeping environment, avoiding alcohol in the late evening, regular exercise and being sensible about how much you can realistically achieve in a day will all help you to successfully lose weight.