Im chronically short on sleep often sleeping 4-5 hours a night. I was at the gym the other day speaking with a friend of mine who is a physique athlete and I asked him if he had any specific advice for weight loss and retention of muscle. He stated that a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep a night is absolutely mandatory for weight loss and optimal health. I had often heard how important sleep was but the emphasis that my friend put on adequate rest made me rush home and start researching the subject. It didn't take me long to find articles addressing this subject and before long I was immersed in my study with six windows open between my Ipad and my Powerbook.
Why does sleep help with dieting and weight loss, what is the mechanism by which this works? I found a great article on Livestrong.com which broke down why you need a minimum of eight hours sleep a night and also the chemicals that were associated with adequate rest. What surprised me here was Leptin once again popping into the picture. You may remember a post of mine titled Leptin and the Science Behind The Cheat Day Diet. This was the first time that I mentioned Leptin and it was one of my most popular posts thus far. Importance of Sleep
Also, during this research another common theme that I came across was that sleep deprivation caused an increase in the hormone Ghrelin which has been shown to not only reduce energy expenditure but also promote the retention of fat. Ghrelin and Its Negative Effect On Weight Loss.
There seemed to be no shortage of information stating how important sleep is to optimum health and effective dieting. There also seems to be a direct correlation between proper sleep and sleep patterns and testosterone levels. Sleep and Testosterone Levels
Take a look at these articles and do a little research of your own. The Cheat Day Diet is all about maximizing your efforts and your results. Make sure to get enough shut eye we don't want all that dieting and exercise to be for nought. Happy dieting everyone, talk soon.
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