Diet and Exercise, not enough

Research confirms that a good quality sleep is vital in a diet plus exercise routine for weight loss. Sleeplessness is one of the problems nowadays. In America alone, about 75% of the population doesn’t have quality sleep (2005 poll done by the National Sleep Foundation). Sleep is necessary for a slimmer waist and improved overall health. Although this in contrast with eating smaller calories that can be burned in a 24 hour period through movement, the body also needs recovery time from such movement. Present study proposes that the body wants quality sleep for more efficient burning of calories.

Study Specifics

The weight loss study held in America’s leading veterans’ hospital, Walter Reed, established that sleep was the key to getting a healthy body mass index (BMI). They test subjects (the resident nurses) had pedometers and arm bands measuring their activity levels. Researchers were able to conclude the activity level of each nurse through their vital body statistics.

The sampling was done and they were divided into two section: ’short sleepers’ and ‘long sleepers’. The result: ’short sleepers’ were obese, with an average BMI of 28.3, and the ‘long sleepers’ had an average BMI of 24.5. The pedometers revealed that ’short sleepers’ made 14,000 steps per day, while ‘long sleepers’ made 11,300 per day. The nurses that has more walk and slept less also weighed more.

The head of the researchers, Arn Eliasson, MD, claimed that stress could be the main culprit why ’short sleepers’ are both overweight and tired. Stress can contribute in disturbing sleep. The Mayo Clinic states that insomnia can be developed from people suffering from depressive disorder.

The Purpose of Sleep

Sleep still is a mystery to science. It is known that lack of sleep can soon trigger disorientation, hallucinations and headaches. The body relies on it so much that it wants to spend a portion of its life in sleep mode. Scientists still has no answer with such observations. All we know is that sleep assists the brain process the new experiences of every day.

A new theory tests this hypothesis. It states that sleep is to benefit the entire body and aids in keeping an individual adequately flexible for survival. Director of the Center of Sleep Research, Professor Jerome Siegel suggested this hypothesis. Metabolism slows down through sleeping and sleep appears to be the assessor of the body’s energies where it is concentrated. Therefore, sleep is thus a full diagnostic test of the body.

If the sleep is disrupted or shortens, the body is constantly confused as to where best to spend its amounts of resources like the fats.

Diet and Exercise Affects Sleep

Studies do not denote that all obese person needs to lose weight to obtain eight hours of sleep per night. Diet and exercise are also important in getting quality sleep. Active lifestyle exhausts the body and leads you to fall asleep. Foods assist the body to either become drowsy or to stay up all night.

The National Sleep Foundation asserts that insomnia is the symptom of an illness needing treatment. The National Sleep Foundation advises any person having insomnia for a month to see a doctor. Avoid vigorous exercise before sleep because the body would be too enthused to relax.

Sleep Aids

The National Sleep Foundation advises to keep a diary of diet, exercise and sleep habits and share it with a doctor to have the best treatment. Stress management methods before bed can assist close the thoughts and worries in your mind. Short term medications may also be prescribed.

Patients avoid sleep aid medications because of the risk of dependency. Trustworthy doctors give a schedule to slowly add the medication and then wean the patient off of it. There are numerous herbs like valerian root and chamomile that could aid the body to relax, however the effects are not as strong as prescription medications, as well as the side effects.

The hormone melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamin) is a promising over the counter medication. It functions to assist the circadian rhythms to perform optimally. It is often available at airports in alleviating jet lag. Side effects are inevitable, for example, melatonin can cause nightmares and allergic reactions to people that has allergy from chamomile. The patient needs to diet; exercise and find out non-chemical ways of managing stress with proper sleep and you will experience the result of losing unwanted weights.

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