I‘m really excited about the opportunity to write a guest-post here on TFLA, seeing that they‘re an authority in their field with thousands of visitors each day.

{Sometimes “I’m tired is just an excuse,” and sometimes it’s because you’re fatigued from insomnia.}

And small wonder. The posts on The Fat Loss Authority are top-notch; both informative and entertaining. So I thought, “Better get cracking and write something really good and useful, and of course up to the standards TFLA readers have come to expect.“

But I‘ll let you decide.

Late Nights Makin‘ You Overweight?

Sleeplessness, or lack of sleep –insomnia—is a major problem nowadays. It‘s associated with a host of health problems, including obesity … BIG time.

The New York Daily News reports direct correlations between lack of sleep and weight gain—in women even more than men. A recent study by the New York Obesity Research Center reveals that sleep deprived individuals overeat far more easily than those who get a good night‘s sleep.

Scientists have documented the link between  sleep and obesity in other studies as well and speculate that hormones associated with appetite and food intake increase when we are tired. Well, that‘s old news; if you‘re fatigued, you get cranky and then hungry, for sure.

The Washington Post reports that not enough or erratic sleep heightens the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Sleep is awesome…why risk any of these illnesses?

But…what about depression?

Kids get ornery, adults get aggressive at first then frustrated and finally depressed. Enter tasty but fattening cookies, cakes, soda, booze and a whole host of so-called ‘comfort‘ foods. On the other hand, well rested people tend to be in a pretty good mood! But don‘t take my word for it, look at what some of the experts have to say about insomnia and obesity:

“Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body. We have nothing in our biology that allows us to adapt to this behavior.”

                                        -Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago

“Losing sleep, “might speed up death’s arrival.”

-U.S.News & World Report, 2009

“What is certain, is that we can’t do without sleep.”

-Peter Meerlo, neuroscientist at University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Other penalties for staying up late can be even more serious, deadly in some instances. Studies have linked chronic sleep loss to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even shorter lives.

{Getting enough sleep is high on this guy’s priority list!]

What about fat burning exercises? Not much fun when you‘re exhausted, that is IF you exercise at all. If you do, the intensity and overall quality of the training will likely be rather low. Healthy sleep is just plain necessary for recovery and general regeneration. It‘s a cycle too; the worse your nights are the worse they tend to get.

Sleepless Solution

So Houston, we got a problem. How do we fix it?

First, by identifying the causes for sleeplessness, and then removing them. By resetting our inner clock and circadian rhythm.

Most adults today have their sleeping patterns thoroughly out of whack from having too much to do and not enough time to do it. So that‘s where we start, at the beginning, which means this: get to bed at the exact same time every night. No exceptions. Even if you don‘t doze of right away, lie there and eventually you will fall asleep.

Next? Get up at the exact same time every morning. Even if it was a horrible night, and you could just sleep so nice and comfortably right now! You know what I mean. Be hard on yourself, and get up anyway. You can always take a short nap after lunch like everyone else. If not that‘s even better because, trust me, come bedtime tonight sleep won‘t be so hard to come by!;-)

It helps to increase your morning energy with coffee, green tea or herbs and vitamins like liquorice root or vitamin b5. But no coffee or other stimulants after noon! Late afternoon stimulants would mess up the odds of having some sweet dreams at the end of a long day.

Good fat burning exercises will improve weight loss results and help to get rid of that restless energy. My grandma used to say, “Can‘t sleep? Go work hard!“ I hate to say it, but maybe granny was right.

Frankie Says Relaaaax

Try to really calm down at night by taking a (long) hot bath, reading a book (even a good one makes your eyes heavy!), and of course our little bag of sleep-ninja tricks.

Take a quality magnesium supplement–up to 1000 mg—late in the day; its great for the heart and helps you relax.

My  super-sleep herbals will knock you right out (in a very friendly and kind way!

• Reishi Mushroom
• Hops
• Feverfew
• Lactuca Virosa and
• Lavender Oil

Total darkness and silence in the sleeping quarters are crucial–use some ear plugs if you must! Finally, plan for the next day‘s schedule or the healthy meals you‘re going to prepare and take to work. What will you cook and when will you eat it?

Works like a charm for me, I usually don‘t get too far beyond breakfast before deep in slumberland !;-)

So there you go, now you understand the causes for sleeplessness, the effects this has on weight loss results, and most importantly how to grab the good night‘s rest you deserve and need!

Sweet Dreams!

Mark

P.S. If you think this post was up to scratch, why not head on over to my Blog sometime, I would feel honored by your visit and comments! Hope to see ya over there!