The importance of sleeping well

Do you think you’ve slept enough? Can you remember the last time you woke up without needing coffee? If the answer is “no”, believe me you are not alone. Two-thirds of adults in all developed countries fail to get the recommended eight hours of sleep.** In fact, surveys conducted by the UK Sleep Council and YouGov reveal that one in three people regularly suffer from lack of sleep. I doubt you will be surprised by these facts, but you may be surprised by the consequences.** Insufficient sleep is now one of the lifestyle factors that influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease. * During sleep, a remarkable system in the brain, called the lymphatic system, kicks into gear. As you enter deep sleep, this disinfection system cleanses the brain of a toxic, sticky protein linked to Alzheimer’s. Known as beta amyloid. Without enough sleep, you don’t get that energy cleanse. With every night you go without getting enough sleep, your risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases.**

Lack of sleep, hunger increases

Maybe you’ve also noticed a desire to eat more when you’re tired. This is not a coincidence. Lack of sleep increases concentrations of a hormone that makes you feel hungry. While suppressing a companion hormone that otherwise indicates satisfaction with food. It is research related to weight gain in both adults and children with sleep deficit.** * Worse yet, if you try to diet but don’t get enough sleep while doing it, it’s useless. Up to 70% of the weight you lose will come from lean body mass, not fat. Change these facts and you’ll realize that plenty of sleep is a powerful tool for managing your weight.

Sleep recommendations

Sleep is perhaps the biggest performance-enhancing ‘drug’ that few people take advantage of** Related is the association between abundant sleep and athletic performance. * Get less than eight hours of sleep per night, and especially less than six hours per night. Relative to sleeping nine hours a night, sleeping five or six hours a night will increase your chances of injury.** Routinely sleeping less than six hours a night also compromises your immune system. So much so, that the World Health Organization recently classified any form of night shift work as a carcinogen.** Inadequate sleep also alters blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as prediabetic. Studies show that after 22 hours without sleep, human performance is affected to the same level as that of a person who is legally intoxicated. If you want more information on nutrition and health topics, or need advice to find the healthiest eating plan to help you lose weight, ** click here