Sleep - It's so important!

We all know sleep is as important as a healthy diet and healthy physical lifestyle, but did you know that lack of sleep can aid weight gain?​

First of all lets look at why sleep is so good for you​

~Improves your attention concentration​

~Helps you maintain a healthy body weight​

~Keeps your heart healthy​

~Keeps your immune system strong​

~Helps you look after your mental health​

~Reduces stress levels​

Lack of sleep and weight gain - do you do the following when you are tired?​

You wake up exhausted, so what what do you do? Opt for a healthy breakfast or go for a quick high sugar cereal bar?​

You get home from work, exhausted, what are you likely to do? Go for a healthy snack or sit down and reach for the chocolate?​

Dinner time comes around and you have not been able to think straight all day, so you've not planned a healthy meal, so what you you do? Look at your planned menu you popped on the fridge to keep you organised and on track with your healthy eating plan or grab something from the freezer/takeaway?​

You have an exercise class planned for 7pm, you're exhausted, so what do you do? Go and feel re energised or flop on the sofa, stick the TV on grab a bag of crisps?​

Skimping on sleep sets your brain up to make bad decisions. It dulls activity in the brain’s frontal lobe, the location of decision-making and impulse control.​

So it’s a little like being drunk. You don’t have the mental clarity to make good decisions.​

So while you might be able to squash comfort food cravings when you’re well-rested, your sleep-deprived brain may have trouble saying no to a second slice of cake.​

Sleep deprived people tend to...​

~partake in late night snacking​

~Choose high carb foods​

~Choose snacks with twice as much fat​

~Choose bigger portions​

Basically a sleepy brain is too tired to be physically active and craves junk food while also lacking the impulse control to say no!!

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