sleep well to lose weight

How to get undisturbed beauty sleep of 7-10 hours? {Health}

April 27, 2015 Swati 5 Comments

Sleep is a naturally recurring state of relatively suspended sensory and motor activity, characterized by total or partial unconsciousness and the inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. (Macmillan Dictionary for Students Macmillan)

It is a major misconception that our body is resting when we are asleep. It is, instead, performing the most basic functions of detoxification and rejuvenation so that we feel renewed when we get up from our sleep. According to this post, our body starts its detox process from 9 P.M and we are required not to perform any adrenalin raising activities from this time onwards. Instead, it is advised for us to rest from this time hence.

One of the basic rules of sleeping is having a very light dinner, probably some soup and salads. You can try to manage your weight by following this routine. Having cabbage soup is the best way to cut down your belly fat. Salads ensure the health of your teeth. They do not overload the stomach. You should eat your dinner two hours prior to sleeping.

Do not take any fluids in the mean time. But, if you must drink a cup of green tea one hour before sleeping. Reduce your water intake at night. You can refill your system in the morning. Taking fluids just before sleeping will interrupt your sleep.

Take a warm and relaxing bath before having dinner, if you wish. It will also aid in good sleep. Finish your skin care routine during this time.

9 P.M onwards relax and do not indulge in any physical activity. Instead, listen to music, read, do little stretch exercises or light yoga, massage your scalp and face. These activities will help you get quality sleep. Do not watch television or browse internet. Take break and think about pleasant thoughts which make you happy and lift your spirits. Do not think about work next day and get stressed.

Remember, your sleep should always be undisturbed at night. Exercise is one of the best ways to go for it. Make it a routine to exercise regularly. Half-hour a day is enough. Try to exercise in the early morning, instead of evening, as it freshens up your entire body inside out. You feel energized and eat more breakfast which goes well with the body.

5 tricks to sleep quickly and deeply {Five Series}

November 23, 2012 Swati 2 Comments

So, I have so much trouble sleeping sometimes that the regular tricks have stopped working. So, these are somethings which I have tried and not so much tried but some ideas which might really help with sleeping better. But, first let us review the regular tricks:

Drinking a glass of warm milk induces sleep.
Lavender water or Essential Oil also helps relax and soothe mind and sleep.
Reading a book.
Closing all electronic devices an hour before bed calms the mind down.
Dim the lights of the room and relax.
Meditation, yoga and light exercises can also help.
Regular exercises helps regulate the body mechanism.
Eating a light dinner two hours before bed helps too.
Avoid lot of fluids in the evenings.

These are the regular tricks which help but now I have some more to add to. So, check them out 🙂

Chanting

Hinduism has so many chants and hymns and almost all children are supposed to learn some of them. Similarly, all other religions would have their own prayers. When you are ready to go to bed, lie down and chant or say those prayers. It really helps. I have been trying this since three four days and its been helping me more or less.

Reading

Yes, I have mentioned it above. But, I have also noticed that an exciting book can in fact be a deterrent to proper sleep. So, the trick is to read really boring philosophical books or some thing which is interesting but doesn’t keep you thinking what happens next.

I am reading a book right now on thought processes and thinking mechanism of humans. Its damn interesting but I can sleep over it. Another trick which I am borrowing from Tine’s blog is listening to audio books or reading really boring subjects.

Well, listening to audio books is not high on my list coz having any electronic device at that times causes chaos in my mind. But, yes, reading a really boring book is an anti-dote. In fact, recently, I laid down my hand on a book which is very negative and pessimistic and trust me, I am hating it so much that I sleep 😀

Lights OFF

Yes, I have mentioned it. But, don’t underestimate the power of darkness to induce yourself to sleep. Sleeping with eye masks on is also a great idea as it forces you to close your eyes and drift gently. Well, I have not tried it yet so can’t really say how much it works. But, yup, its a trick which I will try soon 🙂 Btw, darkness thing works!!

Massage

Oh my gosh!!! This is so relaxing. Switch off the lights, take a bottle of oil or lotion and massage your legs or hands or whatever and you will feel sleepy. It really works like a charm. And, keeps the skin really soft and moisturized. So, added benefits 🙂

Candles

Ok, not candles exactly but a warm room really helps a person sleep. So, you might want to adjust the temperature of your room if you have a thermostat. But, I would say, instead, light a candle because it harmonizes a place. A tea light candle would also do.

So, these are my tricks which really help sleep. Btw, lavender thing doesn’t really work for me. But, you can always give it a try!! So, what are your tricks to sleep easily???

Do you sleep in a well-ventilated room? {Health}

November 16, 2012 Swati 10 Comments

So, do you? This wouldn’t be obviously applicable to ones sleeping in AC but sleeping in a well-ventilated room is extremely important from the health aspect. Did you also know that you should not cover yourself in the blanket? Yup, its a bad habit.

Its always a good habit to keep the windows of your bedroom open so that there is proper air circulation. Also, whenever you are sitting at any place, it is important that the place is ventilated, not only for air but also allows sun’s rays. That ensures our well-being.

These days we are too much cooped up in the buildings as in offices and all. So, its good that we get well-ventilated houses. One of my friend’s mom used to open the windows even if he used to feel cold at night 😀 Yup, she was paranoid about his health. Not in bad sense AT ALL.

The reason she was so concerned was because if you keep the room closed for long time, your exhaled carbon dioxide gets filled in the room reducing the levels of oxygen. Same is the case when you sleep with your face covered. It interferes with the normal breathing process.

Another issue which might arise is the entrance of outside light when you open the windows. Yes, one should sleep in extreme dark because our body is sensitive to even a flicker of light when sleeping. So, its a good idea to get a sleeping mask on!!

Did you know that if you do not sleep in an entirely dark room, your ageing process gets accelerated and also results in weight gain. Vivi has already done a wonderful post on this topic which I have been meaning to post since a very long time so go and check it our right away 🙂

Why should you take proper sleep?

June 8, 2010 Swati Leave a Comment

I have posted a lot about the benefits of taking proper sleep like beautiful skin and hair and weight loss. Now, scientists have found out more reasons for taking a prolonged undisturbed sleep.

It is important to sleep properly to have a long life. Fragmented sleep decreases our life.
Fragmented sleep is one of the reasons for heart problems. It raises the levels of bad fats in the body along with cholesterol and cortisol.
Fragmented sleep is one of the reasons of high blood pressure.
So, in all, fragmented sleep can be a lot dangerous to you. This applies for insomnia patients too.
Leaving all the health problems apart, fragmented sleep does not allow your brain to rest well or let your body functions get performed properly. Thus, you will feel tired and weak instead of feeling recharged after a good night sleep. So, always remember to take a proper nap for what ever length of time and help your body help you.

Sleep more to lose weight

May 17, 2010 Swati 3 Comments

Are you hooked to chewing your food yet? Here comes the next habit. I have already discussed this in a way. But, this time I would discuss this in context with weight loss.

Today’s Habit: Proper Sleep is essential for weight loss.

Sleep is a very complex activity. We all know that. So, how does it contribute to weight loss? Sleep stabilizes the body functioning by releasing certain hormones. It relaxes the body and makes it function properly. So, not sleeping properly leads to hormonal problems.

There is a hormone which makes us feel hungry. It is Ghrelin. Studies show that people who have trouble getting proper sleep produce more of this hormone which in turn increases your cravings and you eat more than your body can handle. And, these cravings are more for the junk food. Did you ever feel that you want to eat junk food? I do, sometimes. Now, we know the reason.

Then, there is another hormone, Leptin, which sends signal to our brain when you should stop eating. When you do not sleep properly, these hormones are produced in less quantity and obviously, when you do not know when to stop eating, you would end up eating more.

So, now that you know that sleep can cause bad hormonal imbalances which lead to obesity, you should start taking proper sleep. Regular exercises aid proper sleep. Make sure you go to bed early and take deep sleep according to your body requirements.