Importance of Sleep For Fat Loss

by Jimmy Smith
Sleep is a funny thing, we know we need it but we always ignore it. It’s kind of like a bad high school relationship. The phrase" I need more sleep" is commonly heard day after day right before everyone rubs their blurry eyes.

Sleep is a funny thing, we know we need it but we always ignore it. It’s kind of like a bad high school relationship. The phrase" I need more sleep" is commonly heard day after day right before everyone rubs their blurry eyes. What's the first thing reaction that someone has when you say, "I'm sick", and they typically reply with “You need more sleep". Now it seems that mainstream American is finally accepting that a lack of sleep makes and keeps you fat.

All you need to do is sleep more right? Would you think I was crazy if I told you that it isn't a matter of sleep? Yep, it has absolutely zero to do with how comfortable you are sleeping or how many hours or what you ate or drank. Our quality of sleep is directly related to the stress levels of our body. Train hard for a few days in a row? High stress. Do endless amount of aerobic work? High stress. Eat endless carbs? High Stress. Let's not even begin to talk about relationship and work stresses.

Ok so I bet you are wondering, how does a lack of sleep make me fat? Decreased sleep increases our insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition that turns on fat storing genes and doesn’t allow us to properly shuttle amino acids and carbs into our muscle. Not only do we miss out on all the great effects of post workout carbohydrates but we also increase our central trunk fat.

When I consult with people I give them a simple quiz that gives me a gauge for how I can go to treat them to improve their sleep quality.
Answer YES if this applies to you more than one night a week
1.Do you have trouble falling asleep at night?
2.Do you have difficulty waking up in the morning?
3.Do you sleep less than 8-9 hours a night?
4.Do you wake up once or more during the night?
5.Do you sleep in a room with any light or noise?
6.Do you wake up feeling tired?
7.Do you wake up only with an alarm?
8.Do you go to bed later than 11 pm?
9.Do you get up earlier than 6 am?
10.Do you use medication (OTC or RX) for sleep?

If you answered yes to 2 or more of these questions than you will need to address your issues through both nutritional and supplementing methods. Sleep is where it all happens, get it fixed and get growing again.