Sleep Like a Vampire

Do you find yourself constantly fatigued and devoid of energy? Are you in a constant battle to lose that extra 10+ pounds? Have you experienced plateaus in developing muscle mass?

Well, one change that may help is simply getting more sleep.

A lack of sleep can give your body a one-two punch:

• You eat more fatty foods: A New York Obesity Research Center study has shown that a lack of adequate sleep (7- 8 hrs.) may cause you to eat more high calorie, high carb, and/ or high fat foods the following day. Those who consistently get an inadequate amount of sleep have been shown to consume approximately 300 calories per day more than those who get 7-8 hours of sleep.
• Limits muscle growth: The highest production of growth hormone, which produces calorie-burning muscle mass, occurs during sleep. Inadequate sleep can impede production of growth hormone. This can lead to less than optimal muscle mass, limit muscle growth and contribute to the body burning less than optimal calories.

To assist in getting high quality sleep, sleep like a vampire. Whether “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, “The Lost Boys”, “True Blood”, or “Blacula”, they all:

• Sleep in the dark: Your room should be completely dark. Curtains should be drawn shut. TVs, cell phones, laptops should be shut off to reduce the amount of light in the room. The glow from these and similar devices can disrupt melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. The light from an analog clock can also disrupt your sleep. I’ve gone back to using the traditional alarm clock to reduce the amount of light in the bedroom.
• Sleep in cool temperatures: Keep your room at a cool temperature. Approximately 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit. This lowers your core body temperature and can assist in high quality sleep.

There also may be medical reasons for inadequate sleep. Check with your doctor to test for sleep apnea, a chronic sleeping disorder.

Sleep like a vampire. It can assist with weight loss, muscle growth, and give you the energy you desire.