Everyone knows that we’re recommended to get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If you’re constantly on the go and answering work e-mails at night, it becomes difficult to get those recommended hours. To be honest, I usually get less than 6 hours of sleep a night. It’s not necessarily because my schedule is so demanding but because I’m constantly on my phone before bed. Apparently, this lack of sleep could be the reason that I have trouble squeezing into my size 30 jeans every morning.
Since there is a study out there for just about everything, there’s also a study that says lack of sleep could have you eating 500 extra calories everyday. I’m not going to argue with this. When I haven’t slept, I will eat anything in sight. For example, I came in to the office today on no sleep and there was a pie by my desk. There is no longer any pie. Here’s some tips on how to avoid this weight gain:
1. Boost Protein and Whole Grains
Combining these two will boost your blood sugar and will make sure you don’t crash in the afternoon. I’m a big fan of mixing quinoa and chicken for a healthy lunch. You could also achieve this by starting your day with a delicious berries and oatmeal recipe.
2. Eat Your Dinner Hours Before Bedtime
If you’re eating your dinner right before bed, that food is just sitting there. We suggest some sort of lean meat or greens for dinner. Going to bed on a full stomach will keep you up for hours.
READ MORE: 5 FACTS TO HELP YOU NAP
3. Your Bedtime Snack
When it comes to a bedtime snack, I usually drunkely stumble into the 711 around the block from me. I grab a slice of their plastic-y pizze and some weird snacks. That’s not good. Avoid sugars that will keep you up. Did you know oatmeal will help with the production of melatonin? Try that. Or just crush up some melatonin and mix it with your ice cream!
4. Try Some Tea
A nice cup of soothing tea will help settle your stomach and can prevent overeating and over-snacking. Tea also has some wonderful benefits.
5. Forget The Night Cap
Now this is a tip I can’t really get behind, but you could. I love a night-cap just as much as the next gal but it could make staying asleep more difficult. If you do plan on having your night cap, make it a few hours before bed.
[via][via]
