How Upgrading Your Orange County Mattress Can Help You Lose Weight

December 18, 2017
As we begin the new year, many people are looking to increase their fitness, drop a few pounds, or get more organized.  You might already have a new pair of running shoes, but did you know a stop at an Orange County mattress store might be the secret to weight loss success?

 

Sleep Yourself Skinny

An uncomfortable, old, or worn-out mattress can keep you tossing and turning all night.  This does more than just make you tired the next day: it can prevent you from reaching the deep, restorative levels of sleep your body needs to bounce back from strain.  It makes sense that physical exertion, like a new exercise program, would require more sleep, but did you know that weight loss itself can impact your need for rest?

 

Set Yourself Up For Success

While 40% of Americans get only about six hours of sleep (or less!), running on empty can actually cause weight gain.  This happens both because of the lack of restorative sleep, and because lack of sleep affects your brain.  That’s right, it’s been scientifically shown that when you’re underslept, you feel hungrier, lack willpower, lack focus, and crave more caloric foods.

 

Get Up Early To Exercise, Or Get Enough Rest?

Many people feel like they’re caught in a double-bind: they want to get enough rest, but the only time they have available for a workout is early in the morning.  There is a solution, although it requires some discipline: go to bed earlier.  To determine which is the correct bedtime for you, start with when you need to get up to exercise and count backward until you’ve reached the number of hours necessary for you to have adequate sleep.  Think you can get by with 6-7?  Most people need at least 7-9 hours, and people putting heavy strain in their bodies (serious exercisers, competitive athletes, and those who are losing weight) need even more.  Aim for a solid 8-10 hours in bed every night.  Even if you’re not sleeping that whole time, it’s important to give yourself the opportunity to sleep.  Your workout recovery time will be shorter, and your hormones will balance, facilitating your weight loss.

 

Don’t let your resolutions slip away from you again this year.  Instead of trying to force your weight down with sheer grit and willpower, why not try taking care of your body? Sleep, eat healthy food, exercise, and this year you’ll not only start looking better, you’ll start feeling better, too.

 

 

Sources:

6 Ways Sleep Can Help You Lose Weight – www.womenshealth.com

Lose Weight By Sleeping In – www.mensfitness.com