May is National Better Sleep Month

May is National Better Sleep Month and if your daily life is anything like mine you need all the sleep you can get!
Making sure you get your daily zzz’s can also help you maintain your weight and keep you from gaining any extra weight.

Our society is sleep deprived. We “run on fumes” instead of a good nights sleep. Corporate Executives, Stay at Home Moms, Doctors, you name it…we all loose anywhere from 1-4 hours of sleep everyday.

Adults should be getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night! How many of you reading this article actually get that kind of sleep?

Here's how to make sleep your weight-loss weapon:

Establish a Pattern: Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day -- even on weekends. And invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows. Quality sleep is worth a few extra dollars, particularly since it’s likely to increase your productivity during daylight hours.

Wear Yourself Out: Physical activity promotes the deep, restorative stages of sleep and if you’re well-rested, you’ll have more energy to work out. But unless you’re doing yoga or meditation, try to squeeze exercise into the early part of your day. High-intensity workouts just before bedtime can release endorphins, which make it difficult to sleep.

Make a Five O'Clock Rule: Avoid alcohol, tobacco and caffeine (chocolate, coffee and colas) after 5PM. Even though alcohol is a depressant, it interferes with the quality of sleep. As stimulants, caffeine and nicotine not only impact peaceful slumber, but they can prevent you from falling asleep altogether.

Chill: Stress is one of the biggest obstacles to restful slumber. Use a journal to get out all of your anxious thoughts, listen to soothing music, read a novel, meditate or take a warm bath before bed. And don’t try to go to bed hungry. Eating a light snack may help promote the onset of sleep. Go for graham crackers and a glass of skim milk. Dairy snacks like cheese and milk are high in the amino acid tryptophan, a natural sleep aid.