Eat Right, Sleep Right

By JJ Virgin

Those who are following my program know that great health and weight loss is NOT just about eating right and getting in your exercise sessions. Of course, those are two important keys to success. It’s not the end of the story.

I’ve always insisted that getting a solid night of uninterrupted sleep is just as key to reaching your goals and maintaining excellent health. Now comes a study from Harvard Medical School that provides even more evidence that you need to get your quality zzz’s (seven to nine hours a night of sleep that’s not broken up for any reason including bathroom breaks, TV or mates/pets).

Not getting enough sleep can even contribute to you making bad food choices the next day!

The Harvard study looked at 542 male motor freight workers who were an average of 49-years-old. The results indicated that workers who didn’t get adequate sleep made less healthy food choices the next day while those who had adequate sleep made much more healthy food picks. Why? If you don’t get enough sleep it affects your decision making skills. Imagine that you’re tired and standing in front of the vending machine at work. A yawn later and you’re popping in a few quarters and eating a candy bar. This happens because you’re not making solid choices due to exhaustion.

At the University of Texas at Austin, researchers studied 49 West Point military cadets and forced 21 of the men to experience sleep deprivation. Then they monitored the guys to study their capacity to make split-second decisions. (Many food choices are done quite quickly). The results indicated that even moderate sleep deprivation caused an overall immediate loss of information-integration thought capacities. In fact, when the participants were well rested their decision making improved. When you’re making the right decisions, you’re reaching for that great salad with grilled veggies and chicken. When you can barely keep your eyes open and can’t think straight, you’re on the phone to the local pizza parlor.

During this harried holiday season, it’s more important than ever to get your rest. I suggest backing up your schedule to including an hour of “wind down” time each night before you go to bed. In fact, set an alarm clock to indicate when you will go into wind down mode. This means no computer, TV or phone, which are all stimulating activities. Sip some herbal tea, take a hot bath or read a boring book. Then go into your dark, cool room and get your rest because you need it for your diet, for your brain and for your overall health.

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