Sleep usually isn’t the first thing you think about when you are considering ways to lose weight, but in truth, getting adequate sleep is a vital part of any weight loss program. It enables your body to function well - and it also helps fight against one of the underlying causes of belly fat: cortisol. Let’s look at this closer.
One of the most beneficial results of sleep is that it reduces stress levels. When we have higher levels of stress, the stress triggers a chemical reaction inside our bodies that puts us into “survival mode”. During this mode, our bodies produce a chemical called cortisol - and it directly affects your belly fat. Cortisol production is our bodies' way of building up fat stores for the “difficult times ahead”.
Most people today have some elements of stress in their lives. Social, financial, personal and other obligations add to our stress levels. The incessant bombardment of informations and advertisments, “self-imposed famines" that we call “diets”, and a lot more all contribute to making our stress levels high - and as a result enlarging our waist lines - than ever before. Belly fat cortisol production sky rockets inside of us due to stress.
If you want to lower your belly fat, one rule you need to enforce is to simply relax and slow down. Allow your body the release and time it needs to produce endorphins (the feel-good chemicals that you want instead of belly fat cortisol). Enough endorphins in your body contributes to your feeling more content and upbeat about everything - including your appearance.
Being sure to get enough sleep also is very important for people who exercise or do muscle strengthening on a regular basis. Sleep gives your body time to repair itself.
Those achy muscles that you get after strength training exercises are caused by microscopic tears in your muscle tissues, and sleep allows your body time to repair and rebuild stronger muscles. Those “rebuilt” muscles make up the increased lean muscle mass in your body, and the more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your body burns calories, even while at rest.
Getting enough sleep is not always easy or enjoyable. According to most studies on the matter, the majority of individuals do not get even close to the 7 to 10 hours that their bodies require. And if you want to get that lean body and fight belly fat cortisol, be sure to get enough sleep to ward off weight gain.
How do you make certain you get sufficient sleep? You can simply do a quick review of how many hours of sleep you are getting on a regular basis. If you are lower than 7 hours each night, figure out what is keeping you up.
Video games, movies or tv, computer time caffeine, and others all serve as stimulants that keep you up when you could be getting that precious sleep. Some quick tips for enhancing your sleep time are to avoid caffeine of any kind after noon, do some yoga or stretching, chat with a trusted friend, or journal about the stress in your life.
It is entirely too easy to get addicted to sleeping pills or aids, so be sure to discuss this with your physician if you are considering their usage.
Another great way to encourage good sleeping habits is to make your bedroom a peaceful, quiet place. Pick up some cheap foam earplugs if you are a light sleeper, hang some heavy curtains to keep out the light in the early morning hours, wind down with a cup of chamomile tea and a good book, or with personal devotions.
These are all ways that you can help your body speed up your weight loss through getting enough sleep, how you can ward off the build up of belly fat, cortisol production, and more.
Author Resource:
There are several foods that reduce belly fat that you can add to your diet plan to help you lose inches with minimal effort. Getting enough sleep is only one of aspect in a successful diet! Find out the others at http://www.curebellyfatnow.com
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