Submitted by Diane Mark, Di-Namic Fitness
Most of us know that exercise is important to our health. It keeps our heart, cardiovascular system, muscles and bones healthy and strong. But have you ever thought how sleep affects your overall health?
Not getting enough sleep has many negative side effects on your health and your ability to feel great. If you want to feel great on a daily basis you need to consider the following:
Psychological Effects
Most adults require between 7.5 and 9 hours of sleep each night. If you do not regularly get enough sleep it can lower your motivation, energy levels, affect your concentration and impair your memory. Under these conditions you certainly won’t exercise to your full potential during workouts.
Metabolism
Not getting enough sleep can cause you to gain weight. Some studies have linked shorter sleep to a greater likelihood of diabetes and obesity. According to a 2004 study, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine. Sleep deprivation reduces sensitivity to insulin, the key blood-sugar-regulating hormone, and makes it harder to metabolize blood sugar properly. Short sleep also boosts levels of hormones that make us hungry, and reduces the amount of hormones that help us feel full. So it makes sense that being starved for sleep could lead to weight gain — even if only for the fact that being awake longer gives us more time to eat.
Muscle and Bone Repair
During exercise your body breaks down and adequate rest in between workouts gives the body time to repair and build muscle and bone. During deep sleep growth hormone production increases which helps in this process. Your body’s ability to recover from an intense workout and make your muscles and bones stronger can be severely limited by not getting enough sleep.
Heart Issues
While regular exercise will help you maintain a strong healthy heart it may not be the only factor to consider. A 2011 study in male Japanese factory workers found those who slept less than six hours a night had a five-fold increased heart attack risk over a 14-year span compared with those who logged between seven and eight hours a night. Another published in 2011 found that healthy men 65 and older with normal blood pressure were nearly twice as likely to develop hypertension during the study if they spent less time in the deepest sleep stage (known as slow-wave sleep) compared with those who spent the most time deeply asleep.
How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Say you climb into bed for a healthy 7 or 8 hours of sleep and then stare at the clock wide awake, is all lost? Assuming you have tried all the common sense approaches no caffeine to late in the evening, darkening your room, turning your cell phone off, etc., and you are still having trouble sleeping; there is an all natural product to help you get the sleep you need to feel rested. If you would like to try this product please contact me for more information on how you could receive a free sample.
Diane Mark
Di-Namic Fitness, LLC
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Located at Impact Fitness
1025 Black Lake Blvd SW
Olympia WA 98502
diane@dinamicfitnessllc.com
360-701-0297
