"A
similar
process takes place every night in your body. During those
precious hours of sleep, your body shuts down its daytime activities
and goes to work repairing and restoring itself. Your immune system recharges,
major
organs
are restored, old
cells are replaced with new
ones, and your
mind relaxes and organizes
its thoughts so you can wake
up in a healthy physical and
mental state to begin a new day."
"...
adequate sleep regulates
the
release of important hormones,
such as the growth hormone.
This hormone not only regulates growth in children, but also
helps control fat in adults.
When you don't sleep enough, its production is disrupted.
Leptin
is another hormone that is secreted during sleep and directly
influences appetite and weight control. So lack of sleep may
well be one of the causes for problems with weight control.
"Another very important benefit of sleep is that it
boosts the immune system.
It has been shown that people who sleep nine hours a night
instead of seven have greater than normal "natural killer cell"
activity. These killer cells destroy viruses, bacteria and cancer
cells."
"Sleep also
slows
the
aging process."
"How
much
sleep should you get? Adults need seven to nine hours each
night
without
interruption. Most
people find that eight hours
is perfect. any less and you feel drowsy at some point during the day.
Any more and you may feel unnaturally sluggish."
How's your sleep pattern? Are you getting enough rest?
If you need to be losing weight, start planning to get eight hours of
uninterrupted sleep each night.
Of course I also recommend that you pick up a copy of "
Real People Don't Diet"
and start to permanently--and easily--change your eating habits.
:-)