Are you wanting to lose weight? If so, you need to add a good night’s sleep to your diet plans. A study by the National Center for Health Statistics showed that irregular sleep patterns contribute to obesity. Not enough sleep can destroy a person’s intentions of consuming a healthy diet. Chronic sleep loss shows down metabolism and disrupts hormones, making it harder to maintain or lose weight.

Today’s world is fast paced and lots of times sleep is put on a back burner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 50 to 70 million Americans do not get enough sleep. This can ruin a person’s diet. Hormones that are released during sleep control the appetite and the body’s use of energy. Without enough sleep, you are more likely to crave foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat. Not enough sleep together with a stomach full of unhealthy foods can make you feel sluggish and less likely to exercise. Loss of sleep may also increase the storage of body fat and elevate blood sugar levels.

The average normal amount of sleep for adults is 7.5 hours but the amount of sleep we need varies by age. Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night to feel rested. School children aged 5 to 12 need 9 to 11 hours, and adolescents aged 11 to 17 require 8.5 to 9.5 hours each night.

An organized sleep schedule would benefit all of us. No matter what day of the week it is, you should go to bed around the same time each night and get up at the same time. That caffeine drink that you thought you needed may have actually disrupted your sleep. It may take as long as 8 hours for a caffeine drink to wear off.

Sleep is essential to a successful diet. Eating well, being physically active, and getting enough sleep at night is the best plan to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Source: Tanana District KKFD News; Alaska Extension Service