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You have amped up your workouts and only eat chocolate on Fridays, yet the scale still won’t budge! I understand your frustration sis and want you to know that it may not be what you are doing when you are awake that’s holding your weight loss goal hostage, it may be your lack of beauty rest. Don’t fret, here are a few tips you may be sleeping on.

Hormones Out Of Whack Missing out on your Zzz’s effects more than your ability to stay focused during board meetings. Studies show that the hormonal activity related to quality sleep has a tremendous affect on your appetite. For instance, when you don’t get enough sleep a hormone known as leptin can decrease. When these levels are low you don’t feel as satisfied after eating. Another hormone affected by lack of sleep is ghrelin. Too little sleep can cause these babies to rise, and guess what? When they are up, so is your appetite. The result: Low leptin plus high ghrelin=Constant unsatisfied hunger. And where does this imbalance lead? To the land of the overeaters!

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Creeping In The Gym Workouts scheduled too close to bedtime can and will interrupt your sleep pattern. When you workout your adrenaline rises, therefore making winding down nearly impossible. So try and schedule your gym fun no less than three hours before bedtime. And if your schedule doesn’t allow this, try creating a bedtime ritual like sipping decaf tea, spritzing your pillowcase with lavender or meditating; all of which are relaxing activities proven to help improve sleep.

Too Many Drinks On Deck Caffeine is a stimulant and alcohol perpetrates as a stimulant, yet eventually becomes a depressant. What does this have to do with you and your pillow? Too much too close to bedtime can cause your body to kick into third gear, therefore making sleep a distant concept. So try skipping the Joe and putting down the bottle three to four hours before you go nighty night. Holler back restless sleep.

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Power Down Technology and social media are the king and queen of our lives nowadays, and when it comes to getting adequate sleep these two things can be a royal pain. Over-stimulation can have adverse affect on your mind’s ability to shut down (essential for good sleep), so power down anything that has a power button an hour before you lay it down. That way you can drift off counting your blessings instead of social media “likes.”

Set The Mood You know how when you walk into your favorite lounge and suddenly feel a bit sultry? Well its not just your imagination igniting this feeling, it’s the ambiance. The atmosphere in which we exist has a tremendous affect on our emotions. So set the mood by making your bedroom a place where “good sleep” wants to be. Two easy things you can do tonight are: 1) Make your bedroom as dark as possible. 2) Make your bedroom quiet as possible.

 

More Healthy Advice:

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Listen To This Playlist When Trying To Go To Sleep:

The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.