BLOG 40 By Fitness Trainer Jesi Mandagaran
From a previous blog I wrote, “BEASTS SLEEP TOO”, it is no secret I became Team Sleep when it comes to making changes in overall health. And for good reason too. If you like feeling at your best in your work environment, if you like slaying PRs in the gym regularly, and if you appreciate regular sex… Then keep on reading homies. Here, I discuss why poor sleep puts an Armageddon dent in your lifestyle. Don’t worry, I’ll also share a few goodies to help you get better sleep.
Weight-gain is a pesky ass-hole, especially since there are many ways that contributes to weight-gain, like, high-level stressed jobs, or sitting too much kind of jobs, high carb consumption and sugar addictions. But if you ask me, I believe quality sleep can help lessen the evil of these other factors mentioned above. Here are 3 reasons…
- Poor sleep increases appetite. A result of an imbalance of the hunger hormones occurs within the body when sleep deprivation happens, and it does SO not take long for that to happen either! A study at University of Colorado showed that in 1 week, nearly 2lbs were gained when only getting 5 hours of sleep. Here’s what happens, Leptin, the good guy, a hormone that suppresses appetite, goes DOWN. And the bad guy, ghrelin, a hunger trigger hormone, goes UP.
2. Poor sleep teams up with Insulin Resistance. Insulin is a good thing, it’s a hormone that carries sugar from the bloodstream into your body’s cells to be used as energy. When you are sleep deprived (and again, it doesn’t take long), your cells become insulin resistant which results in more insulin spikes, making you hungrier while your body is now storing sugar as fat. What do get? Wah-la—a super storage in your body, an opening scene to nightmares such as Type II Diabetes and obesity.
3. Poor sleep = poor physical activity performance. And I ain’t just talkin’ about PR’s in the gym (wink-wink). Not only does your physical activity in the gym decrease, but you are more likely to become injured, whether in the gym or at work. This is especially the case in athletes and teenagers. Cognitive function and reaction time is greatly decreased. Testosterone, a well-known Super-Hero in a male’s world, is decreased when sleep deprivation happens, and that leads to lack of sexual arousal and erectile dysfunction. Ladies! That goes for you too, testosterone isn’t just a male’s BFF, it is ours too. It’s safe to say, testosterone needs some TLC, so make sure to get those precious Zzz’s!
Overall, getting proper sleep is a MAJOR player when it comes to weight-loss goals. And in my experience as a trainer, when clients had trouble losing fat even when their diets were on point… 9 out 10 times, the culprit was poor sleep and stress.
Here are 3 Quick tips for better sleep, from my previous blog “BEAST SLEEP TOO”:
- Room Temperature: 60-68 Degrees F—oh yeah, ice party.
- COMPLETE DARKNESS in the bedroom—not even light from a clock.
- Goodbye Technology before bedtime—No Blue/White lights before bedtime.
Bottom line, SLEEP, is worth paying attention to when on a weight-loss journey. Poor sleep is a silent killer. Remember, by getting quality sleep, you lessen the evil of the other factors of weight-gain, like sugar cravings and over-eating. So, don’t get caught sleeping on that sleep game homie!!
When it comes to health and fitness goals, we have the answer. Come see us by booking a FREE ‘No-Sweat Intro’. Here
Night-Night, sleep tight,
