Put Sleep at the Top of your New Year’s Resolution List!

Yep, it’s that time of the year again.  Everyone’s made a list of their resolutions for 2012 and making sure they are moving full force ahead!  Have you already pulled your hamstring as a result of your new Boot Camp Cardio class?  Perhaps you’ve opted for the less strenuous option by recently completing your Detox Fat Flush Cleanse and are beginning the daily baked chicken and broccoli diet. Yum!  Getting healthy and losing weight seems to stay at the top of America’s resolution list.  Diet and exercise is always a great way to start feeling livelier, alert and motivated.  It can enhance your life and help you grow into the person you want to see for 2012. However, there’s one thing most people leave off the list that can help achieve results; SLEEP!  Here’s some helpful information from our friends at the National Sleep Foundation.  Visit www.sleepfoundation.org  for more information.

Did you know that a good night’s sleep can help you slim down and maintain an ideal body weight? Sleep deprivation may inhibit one’s ability to lose weight – even while exercising and eating well!  Sleep, diet, and exercise should all be a part of your fitness plan.

A 1999 study at the University of Chicago showed that restricting sleep to just 4 hours per night for a week brought healthy young adults to the point that some had the glucose and insulin characteristics of diabetics.

Research by Dr. Van Cauter found that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have bigger appetites due to the fact that their leptin levels (leptin is an appetite regulating hormone) fall, promoting appetite increase. This link between appetite and sleep provides further evidence that sleep and obesity are linked.

Though research shows that exercise is certainly good for one’s body and health, properly timing exercise is necessary to maximize the beneficial effects. For example, a good workout can make you more alert, speed up your metabolism, and energize you for the day ahead, but exercise right before bedtime can lead to a poor night’s sleep. For those who are physically fit, the timing of the exercise generally doesn’t make any difference.

To reach your goals for this year, you don’t have to kill yourself in the gym or try taking on diet fads.  Just take it one step at a time by trying to eat healthier and becoming more active.  Last and most certainly not least, add a good night’s sleep to your regiment.  It will make a world of a difference in how you feel and with your overall results. It will also give you a clear mind to stay away from the newest banana and brussel sprout diet craze!

Have we convinced you to make a sleep resolution?  How about you share it with us!  Visit our Serta’s Facebook Fan page and tell us why you’re resolving to get better sleep in 2012 and enter to win a Serta Mattress Set of your choice!