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More Sleep Means Fewer Junk Food Cravings

If you’re trying to conquer your junk food cravings, a little extra time in the sack could make a tremendous difference. In fact, a University of Chicago study showed that not getting enough sleep could increase cravings for junk food, specifically foods like cookies and bread, by 45 percent.

Don’t take the importance of sleep for granted. You may think sleeping less will give you more time to get things done, but in reality, you’re only hurting yourself and making your habits worse. Check out these four reasons more sleep means fewer cravings.

It Helps Control Your Appetite
Sleep helps regulate our hormones. Just a few nights without sleep can increase the level of ghrelin—the hormone responsible for triggering our appetite. In fact, the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study showed that participants who slept 5 hours had 14.9 percent higher ghrelin than those individuals who slept 8 hours. A lack of sleep not only explains the differences in those hormone levels but also sheds light on the increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) and obesity for individuals that don’t get adequate sleep. (Try these smart alternatives to junk food)

It Helps Signal Satiety
Hormones affect our appetite–they help regulate when we feel full or satisfied. Just a few nights without sleep can drop the level of leptin—the hormone responsible for signaling satiety. Study participants who slept 5 hours had 15.5 percent lower leptin than those individuals who slept for 8 hours. Lack of sleep can make it more difficult for us to sense when we’re full—causing us to consume more calories than we need.

It Aids Your Judgment
It’s probably no surprise (and has been well documented) that a lack of sleep can decrease our memory, cause us to feel foggy, increase our potential for accidents, increase the risk for disease and even diminish our sex drive. It can also impair judgment when it comes to making healthy choices.  When we’re tired, we are more likely to grab whatever is convenient (think office vending machine, break room donuts or that caramel latte) rather than something that is good for us. (Don’t get stuck with a junk food hangover)

It Cuts Out Snacking
A recent study published in the journal Sleep showed that a lack of sleep caused people to overeat on sweet and salty high-fat junk food. The study, which took place at the University of Chicago’s Clinical Research Center had participants take part in two four-day sessions. The first had participants spend 8.5 hours in bed (with an average sleep time of 7.5 hours) each night. The second round had the same subjects spend just 4.5 hours in bed (an average sleep time of 4.2 hours) each night. Although the participants received the same meals at the same time during both stays, they consumed more than 300 additional calories when sleep deprived. The extra calories mainly came from snacking on high-fat junk foods. (See: 10 Whole Foods That Boost Your Energy and Help You Lose Weight)

Try these simple tips to help you get a better night’s sleep:

  • Go to bed 10 to 15 minutes earlier each night until you’re getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Not only will you have more energy throughout the day with fewer cravings, but you’ll also be more productive.
  • Stop eating two hours before you hit the hay. Going to bed on a full stomach is not only uncomfortable, but it can interfere with a good night’s sleep. For many of us, late night snacking can get out of control, and the calories can add up.
  • Have a bedtime ritual. Take a hot bath, drink a cup of herbal tea or practice 10 minutes of meditation. Do what works best for you. A normal regular bedtime ritual can help you nod off quicker and sleep more soundly.
  • We hear it all the time, but put that smartphone away when you’re about to sleep. The light emitted from electronic devices can disrupt your sleep.  In fact, the National Sleep Foundation says that nighttime, and the reduction of light that used to come along with it, used to cue our brains to “wind down” for sleep. Today’s constant use of electronics interferes with this natural process.

 

SOURCE…www.shape.com

Breathing And Your Brain: Five Reasons To Grab The Controls

The advice to “just breathe” when you’re stressed may be a cliché of Godzilla-sized proportions, but that doesn’t make it untrue. The substance behind the saying is research-tested—and not only to manage stress.

Breathing is an unusual bodily function in that it is both involuntary and voluntary. Other major functions—take digestion and blood flow, for example—occur without conscious influence, and for the most part we couldn’t influence them if we tried. They are involuntarily managed in the vast processing system of the unconscious mind.

Breathing is also managed in the unconscious, but at any moment we can grab the controls and consciously change how we breathe. We can make our breathing shallow or deep, fast or slow, or we can choose to stop breathing altogether (until we pass out and the unconscious takes over again).

Since we are breathing all the time, the oddness of this dual-control system doesn’t usually dawn on us—but it’s this control flexibility that makes breathing especially worthy of attention. We can change how we breathe, and to an extent change how breathing affects our bodies.

Controlled breathing, also known as “paced respiration,” “diaphragmatic breathing” and “deep breathing,” has long been a feature of Eastern health practices. It became more visible in the West after Dr. Herbert Benson’s book,“The Relaxation Response”, hit shelves in the mid 1970s. Whatever you choose to call controlled breathing, the dynamic at work is full oxygen exchange: more oxygen enters the body and more carbon dioxide exits.

The basic mechanics of controlled breathing differ a bit depending on who is describing them, but they usually include three parts: (1) inhaling deeply through the nose for a count of five or so, making sure that the abdomen expands, (2) holding the breath for a moment, and (3) exhaling completely through the mouth for a count longer than the inhalation.

 

1. Managing Stress.

This is the most direct application of controlled breathing and the one we hear about most. Our brains are routinely on high alert for threats in our environment—we’re wired to react defensively to anything that hints of imperiling us physically or psychologically.

Controlled breathing may be the most potent tool we have to prevent our brains from keeping us in a state of stress, and preventing subsequent damage caused by high stress levels.  The relaxation response is a built-in way to keep stress in check.

2. Managing Anxiety.

The means by which controlled breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system is linked to stimulation of the vagus nerve—a nerve running from the base of the brain to the abdomen, responsible for mediating nervous system responses and lowering heart rate, among other things.

The vagus nerve releases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that catalyzes increased focus and calmness. A direct benefit of more acetylcholine is a decrease in feelings of anxiety.Stimulating the vagus nerve may also play a role in treating depression, even in people who are resistant to anti-depressant medications.

3. Lowering Blood Pressure and Heart Rate.

Research suggests that when practiced consistently, controlled breathing will result in lower blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn results in less wear and tear on blood vessels.  As described above, the vagus nerve plays a key role in this response.

Over time, using controlled breathing to lower blood pressure and heart rate can help prevent stroke and lower risk of cerebral aneurysm.

4. Sparking Brain Growth.

One of the more intriguing research developments involving controlled breathing is that when it’s used to facilitate meditation, the result can be an actual increase in brain size. Specifically, the brain experiences growth in areas associated with attention and processing of sensory input.

The effect seems to be more noticeable in older people, which is especially good news because it’s the reverse of what typically happens as we age—gray matter usually becomes thinner.  The result is consistent with other research showing an increase in thickness of music areas of the brain in musicians and visual-motor areas in the brains of jugglers. As in those cases, the key is consistent practice over time.

 

Source…www.forbes.com