You just finished reading “How to Lose (more) Weight Without Changing Your Diet or Exercise Program“

Now you say, “OK. More sleep check. Wait, how do I get more sleep?”

“No matter how hard I try I can’t get more than 6 hours.”

“But if I try to go to bed early I wake up early.”

“I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep.”

Unless you are a brand new parent, getting more sleep is easy. Just follow these tips for a better night’s sleep.

A.)  Start to unwind early. About 30 minutes to an hour before you want to go to bed turn off the TV or Computer, turn down the radio (or put it on more soothing music) and dim the lights (if you can). This signals the body to get ready to sleep.

If it is good enough for your computer, it is good enough for you.

B.)  Develop a routine. Try to stick to a regular bed time.  And to get your body ready, come up with a sleep routine that will tell your body that it is time for bed (see A).

C.)  Set regular times that you will go to bed and wake up.  If you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time everyday (weekends too) it will be much easier to fall and stay asleep. Eventually your body will tell you that it is time to go to bed.  Listen to it.

D.)  Get rid of all distractions. The easiest way to do this to wear earplugs and one of those light blocking  eye masks,  If you find those too uncomfortable to sleep with (I do),  get some light blocking curtains and a shade and a small but loud fan.  If you go the fan route, make sure that you get one that does not rattle.  That can keep you awake itself.

Zzzzzzz.

E.)  Have the right mattress for you.  Make sure that you find a mattress that you can sleep comfortably on and is supportive.  If you can’t get comfortable, you are not going to sleep.

F.)  Get regular exercise. Make sure that you get in at least 60 minutes of some form of physical activity though out the day everyday.  This can be broken down into pieces and does not have to be done at once.  Word of warning: do not be too active close to bed time.  This can increase your body temperature and make it difficult to fall asleep.

What sleep and exercise can do for your body.

G.)  Lay off the stimulants.  Try to limit caffeine intake to the morning. And be especially wary if you take it in pill form.  It may not digest correctly and hit you in the middle of the night.  I have been a victim to this in the past. It’s not fun.  If you are especially caffeine sensitive like I am even the (extremely) little dose found in decaf can keep you awake.  Be careful.  And remember caffeine is a drug.

H.)  Don’t smoke.  This should be a no brainer.  Nicotine is a stimulant.  Not only will it keep you awake, it WILL kill you.  Also, it makes you stink.

OOOH, that smell.  Can you smell that smell?

I.)  Avoid alcohol before bed.  No, I am not saying to have your drinks in the morning.  But cut down on your consumption a couple hours before you plan on going to bed.  Alcohol may make you sleepy (I don’t get drunk, just tired) but it is not a restful sleep. Also, when the alcohol wears off your body will wake up.  This usually happens in the middle of the night, unless of course you drank heavily.  NOT recommended.

J.) Give yourself the right to go to sleep. Give yourself permission to go to bed and get a restful night sleep to rejuvenate your body.  You deserve it.

Your friend and trainer,

Paul

Tags: Alcohol, caffeine, easy weight loss, fat loss, regular exercise, Sleep, sleep routine, weight loss, weight loss rules

This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 5:22 pm and is filed under Fitness, Weight Loss Strategies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted by Paul | in Fitness, Weight Loss Strategies | 3 Comments