It has only been fairly recently that researchers have found a link between sleep and weight loss. This is a complex interaction but one which is centered around two hormones, which cause us to crave food and to not feel full after eating, if we have not slept for long enough each night.
The body needs anywhere from seven to nine hours sleep a night. In this age where we are constantly bombarded with new information and when there are calls on our time constantly to work, to play games, to watch television and to surf the net, it is no wonder that many of us fall far short of the minimum requirement of seven hours a night.
If we are tired in the day this then also has the knock-on effect of making us reach for food which we think will give us an energy boost, but in fact is little more than empty calories contained in sugar and fast food, which ultimately lead us to feel even more tired shortly afterwards.
If you want to lose weight you do of course need to stick to a healthy diet plan and to increase your levels of activity, which in turn will help you get a better night's sleep. It is not being suggested that getting more sleep alone will help you lose that extra twenty pounds. However, all of these small steps are cumulative, and the overall outcome will be the ability to stick to a healthy diet and the renewed sense of energy you get from a good night's sleep. As more research is done on the link between sleep and weight loss we may even find that sleep plays an even bigger part in our body's ability to lose weight, than we are aware of now.
Many people struggle with their body weight issues, especially those in the obese category. It has been reported by the U.S. Government that 70% of Americans are now overweight and that 28% are obese. That's 115 million obese men, women and children in the U.S. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is catching up with America. The World Health Organization estimates that 57% of the world's population is overweight with obesity reaching almost 20%.
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