Nighty, Night!

I love my bed. I am not someone who will have a long lie in, but once I am in my bed I don't want to get out again until the alarm clock goes off. It had never occurred to me that we can burn calories whilst we sleep. Sleep is restorative - it helps to repair the body, reduces stress, keeps our heart healthy, improves our memory and also helps us to burn calories and therefore lose weight. It must however be a good nights sleep. Most people need between 7 - 9 hours sleep per night, some can manage with less and some need more, but getting the right amount and quality of sleep is paramount in keeping us healthy and assisting weight loss.

I am not a good sleeper - I tend to wake up at least twice in the night and sometimes will read for an hour or two in the early hours of the morning as I can't get back to sleep. I am awake as soon as it gets light, so the amount of sleep I get in the spring/summer months, is a lot less than the sleep I get in the autumn/winter months. I always feel groggy in the morning when I have not had a good nights sleep and I now realise that my sleeping patterns, along with my eating patterns, have contributed to my weight gain.

So I am going to invest in a blackout blind for our bedroom window, try to go to bed at about the same time every night, develop a relaxing routine (mediating for 15 minutes before going to bed would be a good way to relax) and ensure noise levels are kept to a minimum.

A good nights sleep sounds like heaven to me... and I can't think of an easier or more pleasurable way of burning off calories.