Diet Preparation

Arranging Your Day
for a Better Night's Sleep

The focus of this article is "Diet Preparation: the Impact of Sleep and Stress." I want to give you some concrete ideas and tips on how to improve your sleep habits by establishing better daytime patterns that will influence your sleep at night.

Again, this greatly impacts the effectiveness of any weight loss program you may start. If the body isn't getting appropriate rest and a chance to rebuild itself, then achieving your weight loss goals becomes much more difficult.

Now that you understand the importance of sleep and that it directly impacts your chances of healthy weight loss, what can you do to make sure you are getting a good night's sleep? Again, there may be very little you can change about a particular situation that is raising your stress levels.

But you can always control how you react to those situations. The first thing you can do right now is decide that you will get a good night's sleep and you will not be robbed by night's spent turning and tossing due to some situation you have to face.

Then here's how you can be proactive in getting a good night's sleep. Remember, getting a good night's sleep doubles your chances of losing the weight and keeping it off. Let's begin with some tips to establishing better daytime habits which will effect your sleep at night.

Tips for Better Daytime Habits

• Do not nap during the day. If you are having trouble sleeping at night, try not to nap during the day because you will throw off your body clock and make it even more difficult to sleep at night.

  If you are feeling especially tired, and feel as if you absolutely must nap, be sure to sleep for less than 30 minutes, early in the day.

• Limit caffeine and alcohol. Avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages for several hours before bedtime. Although alcohol mayinitially act as a sedative, it can interrupt normal sleep patterns.

• Don't smoke. Nicotine is a stimulant and can make it difficult tofall asleep and stay asleep.

• Avoid over-the-counter and prescription drugs as much as possible,especially closer to bedtime. Many over-the-counter and prescriptiondrugs disrupt sleep.

• Expose yourself to bright light/sunlight soon after awakening. This will help to regulate your body's natural biological clock. Likewise,try to keep your bedroom dark while you are sleeping so that the lightwill not interfere with your rest.

• Exercise early in the day. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning orafternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

• Check your iron level. Iron deficient women tend to have moreproblems sleeping. So if your blood is iron poor, a supplement might help your health and your ability to sleep.

As always, consult your physician before making any significant changes that could effect your health.

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