The Importance of Sleep

Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

A very important (and overlooked) part of taking care of your body is getting the proper amount of sleep. I find this to be harder than walking past a plate full of chocolate! An article I read recently said that insufficient sleep causes a disruption of the appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin which direct fat metabolism. When these hormones become resistant to cues from the brain due to dietary abuse or lack of deep sleep, fat is not released efficiently and remains stored as excees weight in the body. (wwww.helium.com "The Importance of Sleep for Weight Loss" by John Phillip)

Highlighted on Yahoo.com was another interesting article entitled "7 Sleep-Stealing Foods to Stay Away From", and they discuss the sleep-depriving properties of caffeine, aged cheese, spicy foods, processed/smoked meats, alcohol, milk chocolate and ginseng tea. While it's not a comprehensive list, it's certainly a good start!

Personally, when I have sleepless nights (and there are many, believe me, because I can't seem to find the off switch to my brain when I lay me down to sleep), I try to resist the temptation to flip on the telly and instead open my Bible, read and pray. (It doesn't always work - last night I fell asleep to "Gone with the Wind".) There just isn't anything better for a good night's sleep than a clean conscious and some time with the Lord. Proverbs 3:24 is also a great comfort to me if I wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream.

Take time this week to press pause by getting 7-8 hours of solid sleep each night. The weather is getting cooler, so it's time to open those windows, let the "perfect sleeping weather" breezes in, and give yourself a good workout -- the gift of snooze! zzzzzz.....

P.S. Little 20-minute power naps are terrific, too!