There�s one time staying completely still could help you lose pounds: When you sleep. Clocking too little shuteye can make you hungrier, impair how your body processes sugar, and even increase your blood pressure, according to new research published in The American Journal of Human Biology.
How? After fewer than six hours of sleep, your body creates more ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry, and less leptin, the hormone that tells you when you�re full, says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., Medical Director at Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center.
Another effect: Sleep restriction revs up your sympathetic nervous system�the part associated with stress and the fight-or-flight response, says Kristen Knutson, M.D., of the University of Chicago. Though it�s not fully understood, a constantly running sympathetic nervous system could lead to high blood pressure and impair your body�s blood sugar response, which may contribute to diabetes.
You know sleep is important�so why aren�t you getting enough? Men�s Health asked some of the country�s leading sleep experts what men are doing wrong.
A Hot Shower Before Bed
Your body�s core temperature should drop a bit around bedtime to signal your body that it�s time to sleep. But if you take a hot shower right before bed, you�re silencing that signal, explains Shelby Harris, M.D., Director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center�s Sleep-Wake Disorders Center. If you love a steamy nighttime shower, take it 1.5 to 2 hours before you hit the pillow, Dr. Harris says. Working out at night also elevates your core temperature, so avoid workouts for 5 to 6 hours before bedtime. (It takes longer to cool down from exercise.)
A Protein-Packed Nighttime Snack
If you�re having trouble sleeping, try avoiding a high-protein snack before bedtime. Protein is indirectly converted into the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, and high amounts can keep you awake. If your sleep quality is poor, have a high-protein breakfast but a carb-based bedtime snack. Dr. Winter recommends honey and hazelnuts. (Or try these 6 Foods for Better Sleep.)
Never Opening Your Curtains
Seeing sunlight in the morning triggers a chemical reaction in your brain that wakes you up, explains Michael Breus, Ph.D., author of The Sleep Doctor�s Diet Plane: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep. He recommends soaking up at least 15 minutes of sunlight in the morning to reset your internal biological clock (your circadian rhythm). If you�re up before the sun, Breus suggests a wake-up light or blue therapy light like those made by Philips to mimic the sun�s effects. (For more on this, click here to read about The Power of Melatonin.)
<<Print>>