Try Your Sleep Switch
Don’t count sheep, eat lamb! Or better yet, a bit of turkey. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in most meats, has demonstrated powerful sleep-inducing effects. A study published in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease among “mild” insomniacs found that just 1/4 gramabout what you’ll find in a skinless chicken drumstick or three ounces of lean turkey meatwas enough to increase hours of deep sleep significantly. And that can translate into easy weight loss.
“Any tryptophan-containing food, which includes nuts, chicken, fish, lentils, and eggs, can help usher in sleepyhead syndrome,” says , coach at Crossfit Spot Barbell in New York. “If you’re the type who can’t sleep on an empty stomach, a healthy source of fat like avocado or nut butter can help stave off hunger, while providing restorative properties,” she adds.
Shut Down All Bedroom Electronics
Research conducted at Harvard University found that short-wavelength blue light emitted by tablets and smartphones prohibit the bodys production of the sleep-aiding hormone, melatonin. Another study conducted by Singapore based researchers found that long hours of television viewing caused higher levels of triglycerides and lower levels of adiponectin in the body.
The Best Sleeping Position: Back
If back-sleeping is your position of preference, you’re scoring more benefits during shut-eye than you’d think. “Your head is facing straight up and weight is evenly distributed on your spine,” making it the most orthopedically sound position, says Michael Breus, clinical psychologist and author of The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep. And unlike when your face is buried in a pillow, sleeping on your back allows gravity to pull down on your face and chest, which is beneficial for those suffering from acid reflux. With your head slightly elevated, your stomach sits below your esophagus so acid and food are far less likely to come back up.
But snorers, beware: Lying on your back is NOT the best sleeping position for sleep apnea in fact, it’s the worst sleeping position if you suffer from the condition. “Your throat and belly are being pulled down by gravity, making it harder for you to breathe,” explains Andrew Westwood, assistant professor of clinical neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. “If you get pushed by your bed partner, that snoring goes away.”
Score Better Sleep: Unless you’re a habitual snorer, back-sleeping the best sleeping position someone could choose for optimal health and day-to-day physical comfort.
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Get A Pillow For Under Your Knees Or Lower Back
If these steps havent worked and your mattress options are still slim, try putting a pillow under your knees. This will further help relieve the pain on your spine and may prevent your body from rolling over in efforts to reduce pressure.
Not sure what pillow to buy? Lie flat and have a friend check the distance between your knees and the floor and maybe even your lower back and the floor. The pillow you want is all about supporting your bodys natural curves, so you might not have to go all out. You could even stack two flat pillows, although I wouldnt recommend this for the lower back.
Sleeping On Your Stomach
It is also said known as prone position. Prone position means lying horizontally on your stomach while having a pillow under your head.
While sleeping this way the abdominal area tends to get additional pressure from the weight of your body.
This position blocks your abdomen and prevents any excessive fat accumulation. This sleeping position is considered to be quite helpful as it helps in reducing your back pain.
Certain things must be kept in mind with this sleeping position since it can have negative effects:
- Instead of sleeping on your stomach the whole night, try to sleep only 2- 4 hours in a prone position. Since this position pulls your stomach all the way down it can hurt your spine and force your head into an uncomfortable position.
- Try to alternate your regular sleeping position with a prone position.
- Use a properly supportive pillow for your head and neck to prevent any type of back strain. The best pillow for sleeping in a prone position is a firm and thin one as it will keep your head nice and low.
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Find The Best Sleeping Position For You
So, how do you figure out which sleeping position is best for you? Theres no one-size-fits all approach, so youll need to experiment with a few positions to find one thats both comfortable and leaves you feeling well-rested when you wake up.
The following chart offers some suggestions, but they wont work the same for everyone. When in doubt, listen to your body. If you just cant get comfortable enough to sleep in a certain position, dont force it.
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May Help Moderate Your Appetite
Getting enough sleep may help prevent increases in calorie intake and appetite that can happen when youre sleep deprived.
Many studies have found that people who are sleep deprived report having an increased appetite and a higher daily calorie intake .
In fact, one review of studies found that those who experienced sleep deprivation consumed an additional 385 calories per day, with a greater than usual proportion of calories coming from fat .
Another study showed that sleep deprivation led to significant increases in hunger, food cravings, portion sizes, and chocolate and fat intakes .
The increase in food intake is likely caused partly by the effect of sleep on the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin.
When you do not get adequate sleep, the body makes more ghrelin and less leptin, leaving you hungry and increasing your appetite .
Summary
Poor sleep may increase appetite, likely due to its effect on hormones that signal hunger and fullness.
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The Connection Between Sleep And Weight
Over the past several decades, the amount of time that Americans spend sleeping has steadily decreased, as has the self-reported quality of that sleep. For much of the same time period, the average body mass index of Americans increased, reflecting a trend toward higher body weights and elevated rates of obesity.
In response to these trends, many researchers began to hypothesize about potential connections between weight and sleep. Numerous studies have suggested that restricted sleep and poor sleep quality may lead to metabolic disorders, weight gain, and an increased risk of obesity and other chronic health conditions.
While there is continuing debate within the medical community about the exact nature of this relationship, the existing research points to a positive correlation between good sleep and healthy body weight.
There remains much to be discovered about the intricate details of how sleep and weight are connected. Several hypotheses offer paths for additional research with the hope that increasing our understanding of the relationship between weight and sleep will lead to reduced obesity and better weight-loss methods.
Is There A Better Side To Sleep On
Depending on your health, there may be some benefit to sleeping on your left side over your right.
A small, older study looked at 10 people over the course of 2 days. The first day, participants rested on their right side after eating a high-fat meal. On the second, they switched to the left side. Researchers found that the right side was associated with increased heartburn and acid reflux, so sleeping on your left might be more beneficial.
Sleeping on your left side may also be useful for encouraging regular bowel movements. Your small intestine moves waste to your large intestine through something called the ileocecal valve, found in the lower right abdomen. Sleeping on your left side could potentially allow gravity to help with the process of moving waste through your ileocecal valve.
Sleeping tip
If you prefer sleeping on your side, choose a good pillow to avoid neck and back pain. Sleep on whichever side feels most comfortable, but dont be afraid to switch to a different position if its not working for you.
sleep apnea , the benefits dont extend much further.
Unfortunately, sleeping on your stomach can cause both neck and back pain. It can also add a lot of unnecessary strain to your muscles and joints, which is why you might be waking up sore and tired. Placing a pillow under your lower belly might help reduce back pain.
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/6switch Off Your Phone
The moment you have an electronic device in your bedroom, the more distracted you are right before you go to sleep. This means you sleep less. The less you sleep the more the body tries to make up for it by overeating. Reduced energy also means you are not as active throughout the day which impacts the amount of physical activity you get. Also, blue light that is emitted from phones may hamper melatonin production in the body. It might be best to keep your phones away when you sleep if you want to shed that extra weight.
Sleeping In A Completely Dark Room
When sleeping in a completely dark room, youre allowing your body to produce hormones that are essential for sleep, metabolic function, and, of course, weight loss.
Sleeping regulates the hunger hormones and promotes calorie burning. It also allows the body to transform food into energy rather than fat, due to the production of melatonin and other sleep-related hormones.
During sleep, the bad type of fat, or brown fat is transformed into white fat, which is essential for our bodies and doesnt accumulate around the stomach and other sensitive areas.
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How Does Sleep Affect Weight Loss
If youre dieting you may want to know – how does sleep affect weight loss?
Does sleep affect weight loss? It’s an important question, especially If you are dieting and exercising in a bid to shed some pounds. Good sleep is just as vital as moving and fueling our bodies, as it gives us time to rest and reset.
Professionals say that we should be getting on average 6-8 hours of sleep a night, but for many of us, stressful jobs, families or even technology means were not getting anything like that amount of sleep each night. When we dont get enough sleep it affects how we function and ultimately our eating habits. But can we lose calories as we sleep and how does lack of snoozing ultimately affect our appetite?
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Lie On Your Back For Weight Loss During Sleep:
This is a comfortable sleeping posture and is suitable for most people.
Lying on your back while sleeping does not prevent creating belly fat like when lying on your stomach, but it also helps to improve the situation of stomach pressure and facial skin down to form wrinkles.
After years of researching losing weight, a Japanese doctor named Fukutsudzi has come up with a supine way to lose weight and beat belly fat effectively.
Implementation Guide:
- You use a large towel, rolled up into a tube about 10cm in diameter. You can also use a pillow of the same shape to perform.
- Beginning the exercise, you lie on your back on the floor and place the prepared towel tube at the end of the end so that the towel is aligned with the belly button.
- Face up to the ceiling.
- Your legs are straight, and your toes are touching.
- Place your arms outstretched on top of your head so that they touch each other on your little finger.
This is a small exercise you can do before going to bed. Each activity is about 5 minutes. Note for those who are having spinal problems should not apply this method.
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Relax With Breathing Meditation Or Stretching
Striking some poses before bed can have a powerful influence on sleep quality because of yoga’s focus on breathing and meditation. “Yoga offers a variety of benefits, from increased flexibility and strength to a calmer mind,” says , director of yoga at TruFusion. He recommends the Deaf Man’s Pose.
“It can calm the nervous system, release the shoulders and neck and, most importantly, allows you to focus inward, block out stress and relax,” he says.
Exercising Three Hours Before Sleeping
Making use of the best sleeping position to reduce belly fat is effective with other things. These things include such as exercising 3 hours before sleeping. It enhances your metabolic rate when you exercise. Therefore, you get to burn more calories while youre sleeping as well. Pair this up with a sleeping position to lose weight, and youre good to do.
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Side Sleepers: Keep Your Hips Stacked
If youre a side sleeper, place a firm, flat pillow between your knees.1 The pillow will align your lower spine with your hips and prevent the leg on top from creating pressure on your lower back and/or pelvis. This position also helps relieve stresses in your lower spine, creating room for your spinal nerves.
Use a head pillow to slightly raise your head so that your shoulders are in alignment.
See Best Pillows for Different Sleeping Positions
What Is The Best Sleeping Position For Restful Sleep
Fact-Checked
The best sleeping position is generally the one that promotes the best slumber. This varies from person-to-person based on personal preference and physical and medical factors. While some studies suggest that sleeping on ones side is preferred, as well see below, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Read on to learn more about the benefits and risks associated with various sleeping positions.
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Best Sleeping Position To Reduce Belly Fat
If youre looking for the best sleeping position to reduce belly fat, then look no further. Here, you will find all the right answers to this question. You might be concerned as to how this is possible can sleeping actually reduce belly fat? It is true. Sleeping in particular positions allows you to get rid of your belly fat.
You can sleep on your back or on your front for this. All you have to make sure is youre following the right sleeping position to lose weight. How does it work? Well, you get to work on burning your fat through abdominal breathing, and other relevant measures. So, if youre looking for the ultimate sleeping position to lose weight, you would want to stay tuned to get access to all the details.
Sleep Positions For Gerd Symptoms
Research indicates a significant association between disturbed sleep and GERD. Sleep disorders may induce gastrointestinal disturbances, and gastrointestinal symptoms may trigger or worsen sleep disturbances. Cessation of swallowing during sleep reduces the clearance of the esophagus and impairs acid neutralization, resulting in prolonged acid contact with mucous membranes.
GERD is linked to a lack of quality sleep and to experiencing less sleep, either from difficulty falling to sleep, waking too early in the morning, or frequently waking during the night. The relationship between sleep disturbances and GERD can decrease the quality of life. Heartburn during sleep and sleep disturbances are common symptoms of nocturnal GERD.
Studies indicate that lying on the left side is the preferred sleeping position in people with heartburn and GERD, although the reason isn’t entirely clear. Hypotheses hold that right-side sleeping may relax the lower esophageal sphincter or left-side sleeping may keep the intersection between the stomach and esophagus above the level of gastric acid.
Other treatment options for GERD include:
- Antacids to neutralize stomach acid
- Medications that reduce acid production
- Medications to block acid production and heal the esophagus
- Surgery and other procedures
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Drinking Green Tea During The Day
Green tea is not a sleep-friendly beverage because it contains high levels of caffeine and other wake-inducing compounds. However, green tea can be of great assistance when it comes to calorie and fat burning.
Its weight loss properties are effective even hours after consumption. That is why we recommend daily green tea intake, which will promote faster belly fat loss during the night.
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Can Lack Of Sleep Increase Appetite
One common hypothesis about the connection between weight and sleep involves how sleep affects appetite. While we often think of appetite as simply a matter of stomach grumbling, its actually controlled by neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate with one another.
The neurotransmitters ghrelin and leptin are thought to be central to appetite. Ghrelin promotes hunger, and leptin contributes to feeling full. The body naturally increases and decreases the levels of these neurotransmitters throughout the day, signaling the need to consume calories.
A lack of sleep may affect the bodys regulation of these neurotransmitters. In one study, men who got 4 hours of sleep had increased ghrelin and decreased leptin compared to those who got 10 hours of sleep. This dysregulation of ghrelin and leptin may lead to increased appetite and diminished feelings of fullness in people who are sleep deprived.
In addition, several studies have also indicated that sleep deprivation affects food preferences. Sleep-deprived individuals tend to choose foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates.
Other hypotheses regarding the connection between sleep and increased appetite involve the bodys endocannabinoid system and orexin, a neurotransmitter targeted by some sleep aids.
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