Wednesday Wellness: Sleep. It's important.

I know this is repeat information, but I think it's important. And also because I'm buried with schoolwork right now, and am veeeerrrrrrryyyyyy sleepy, I'm reminded how important getting the right amount of sleep is to feeling good. And awake. And able to function. And able to be nice to your family.

So...here you go:

-->

Sleep and Weight Loss

How important is sleep for weight loss?  Very important! 

When you don’t get enough sleep:

1.  More of a hormone called ghrelin, which increases your appetite, is secreted by your stomach. 

2.  Less of a hormone called leptin, which tells your body you’re full, is secreted by your fat cells.

So, in effect, not getting enough sleep is a double whammy – your body increases your appetite and doesn’t tell you you’re full, so you eat more and more during the day.

Adequate sleep also helps decrease the risk of other potential health problems.  The recommended amount of sleep per night is between 6-8 hours.

The other way to maintain/lose weight that I've recently discovered is to take an Environmental Stewardship class where you get to track everything you eat, waste (like garbage), all utilities, transportation, medicines, housing space, lot space, and some other things I'm not thinking about right at the moment, for two whole weeks, in order to figure out what your ecological footprint is. And by tracking everything you eat, I don't mean the usual way - calories - that I can do with no problem. Oh no. You get to measure by pounds. So that piece of cake I ate yesterday? I had to figure out how much sugar, flour, egg, milk and nuts were in the one piece I ate. That was fun. It was made from a mix. I guessed. And some of the groups overlap, like one thing could go into two groups. Which drives me crazy.

So I've not been eating some things because it's too much work to figure out what I'd be eating. Now this does not apply to my Dove Dark Chocolates. I figured that one out. Because I am not giving up my Dove Dark Chocolates. 

Anyways.

It's really important to get enough sleep. Your body will thank you. Your brain will thank you. Your family will thank you. Life will be good.

And you'll just feel better.

*Image courtesy of Microsoft Clipart Gallery