Burn Your Belly Fat - Part 7
Belly Fat Burner #7: Get Uninterrupted Sleep
Getting proper sleep is often overlooked in our quest for optimal health. The average adult should get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
Sleep is the natural restoration of our bodies. It helps our mind process the new memories we made during the day. It also helps our muscles and bones maintain and repair themselves.
Sleep used to never be a problem for us when we were younger, but as the responsibilities mounted, (kids, mortgage, changes at work) our sleep quality has declined. At the end of this section we will provide some helpful solutions. But first, let’s look at the impact that lack of sleep has on your weight.
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology followed over 60,000 women for 16 years to see what caused them to gain weight. Researchers found the less the participants slept, the more weight they gained. [42]
In a smaller study of about 25 people conducted at Columbia University, researchers compared brain scans of people following about 9 hours of sleep to those on 4 hours of sleep. [43] They showed the participants images of foods, both healthy and unhealthy. The part of the brain responsible for sensory pleasures and cravings was more active in the sleep-deprived brain. [44] Researchers believe that the brain seeks out foods that will give it pleasure and energy. What better to do this than sugary carbohydrates?
The visual cues happening in the brain actually translate into what is happening with your weight. According to the New York Obesity Research Center, people that are sleep-deprived eat an additional 300 calories a day. [45]
Another study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal followed study participants that decreased the amount of calories they consumed for two weeks. They either slept for 5.5 hours a night, or 8.5 hours a night. By the end of the study period, the participants who got 5.5 hours of sleep a night lost less body fat than those who slept 8.5 hours. [46] Many of us are so concerned with finding the perfect diet program, but if we just focus on getting the right amount of sleep, we can in effect consume less food.
Quality Shut Eye
We mentioned before that your quality of sleep is just as important as how long you sleep. If you’re in bed for a full 7 to 8 hours, but you are repeatedly waking up, it’s just as bad as if you only slept for several hours.
There are 4 stages of the sleep cycle. The deep part of our sleep is during the REM phase, or rapid eye movement phase, and happens about 90 minutes after falling asleep. The first cycle of REM often lasts only a short period of time, however each subsequent cycle becomes longer.
This is why we need long periods of sleep each night, since most of the REM sleep occurs in the hours before awakening. [47] If we get short periods of sleep, we can’t really cycle through the stages we need to heal and stay healthy.
When Is the Best Time to Sleep?
Getting sleep between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am are most beneficial to you. That is when your body goes through its regenerative process. If you fail to get sleep during this crucial sleep window then you may have brain fog the next day and feel groggy upon waking.
The regenerative process is not just beneficial for your mind; other organs, such as your liver recharge during this time frame. That is why many experts say you should take vitamins at night. It will help with the regenerative process, and resupply what was lost throughout the day.
Think of it as a period for your body to bring out its janitorial staff. It mops up the residual effects of stress left by your boss, your kids, the traffic, your hectic schedule, and so on. But the shorter this sleep window becomes, your mega-energetic janitorial staff becomes more lethargic, and misses crucial things during the clean-up process. So what could have been an immaculate, highly executed clean-up turns into a sloppy job.
How to Get Better Quality Sleep
Here’s how you can get the best nocturnal janitors to work in your body.
Pick a sleep schedule and keep it consistent.
Try to stick as close to the times you fall asleep and wake up during the week and weekends. Too often, people have to readjust their bodies during the work week because of their sleep habits on the weekend.
Exercise daily to reduce anxiety.
Exercising can be in the form of a brisk walk or in a high-intensity workout.
Wind down.
Give your brain and body some rest at least an hour and a half before you are in bed.
No caffeine after 2 pm.
Caffeine can still have effects on your body for as much as 8 hours after you ingest it. If you’re in bed by 10 pm, then 2 pm should be your cut off. Do the deep breathing technique discussed in the last belly burner tip. If you are having difficulty falling asleep, focus on your breathing. You’ll feel your body relinquish tension from every corner of your body and slowly drift into dream land.
Drain your brain.
Keep a notepad by your bed every night and write down everything you have to do for the next day. I call this the “brain drain” exercise. For many people, as soon as our head hits the pillow, our mind reminds us of all the things we must do in the coming days. Don’t you hate when that happens?
Nevertheless, you should not be mad at your brain. It’s actually trying to help. It is finally getting a chance to rest and communicate what it wants to remember.
For example, it knows that if you forget to pay your bill, you’ll be hit with a late fee which will result in stress and anxiety. As you can see, your mind is working with you to keep stress away. Ironically, it’s adding stress because it’s preventing you from peacefully falling asleep.
Don’t get caught in this sleepless stress cycle. Make your brain happy by taking 10 minutes before bedtime to write EVERYTHING down that is on your mind. Write down every thought, task, worry and idea that surfaces.
Do this consistently and your mind will be more trusting that you have a system in place to remember things. That way, when it is time to sleep, your brain isn’t rattling off your to-do list like a caffeinated auctioneer.
Unplug from technology.
Your pineal gland, located deep in the brain, acts as your internal clock. It receives light through your eyes and as the sun sets, it signals to your body that it should begin preparing for sleep by secreting melatonin.
The problem is that most of us unwind at night by scrolling through our email, checking our social media accounts, and browsing the internet. However, our computers, phones and tablets can negatively impact sleep by interfering with our pineal gland’s job to regulate sleep.
It has been shown that people who use tablets 2 hours before bedtime suppress melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep. [48]
Dock your phone across the room.
In the last section, we talked about having your cell phone/alarm stationed across the room to get you out of bed quicker in the morning. This can also help you sleep better because it is believed that the Electro Magnetic Frequencies emitted from electronic devices can impact the quality of your sleep. [49]
It is best to limit or eliminate as many electronic devices as possible. At the very least, don’t sleep right next to your cell phone.
Eat a handful of pistachios.
Pistachios are rich in melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that your body makes naturally. Some studies have found that it assists in falling asleep and may have other positive health effects.
I am a big proponent of taking supplements, but only when necessary. I believe that you should try to get your nutrients first from foods. That’s why I suggest eating pistachios instead of buying melatonin supplements.
A small handful of pistachios per day is all you need.
Shut your mouth, literally…
Taping the mouth shut can help keep the mouth closed during sleep, which encourages breathing through the nose. Breathing through the nose can help improve airway resistance, reduce snoring, and increase oxygen intake.
However, it is important to note that taping the mouth shut during sleep can also have potential risks and drawbacks, such as difficulty breathing through the nose, skin irritation, and anxiety related to feeling unable to breathe through the mouth. Therefore, it is important to consult a healthcare professional before trying this method to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your specific sleep needs.
