Sleep Your Way to a Beautiful Body

You have probably heard it before, but you might not have believed it – you can lose weight while you sleep. New research suggests that there is in fact a relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the quality and quantity of sleep. That is great news for those of us who love to hit the snooze button at least few times in the morning (and for those of us that wouldn’t mind losing a few extra pounds).

It turns out that a good night’s sleep is a factor in controlling the body’s production of two specific hormones responsible for our eating behavior: Ghrelin – the hunger hormone and Leptin – a regulating hormone that tells our brain when it is time to stop eating.

In a study of 1,024 people aged 30 to 60 years old, those who slept only three hours a night had a 5% increase in body weight over 15 years, according to thedietchannel.com.That’s because sleep depravation results in increased levels of ghrelin which in turn makes our body feel hungry and decreases the levels of leptin, depriving us from a feeling of fullness. The result is simple: Overeating.

To keep both hormones at their proper levels, one must make sure not only to get a good quality of sleep but also the hours that our body needs to rejuvenate That’s usually 7 to 9hours depending on an individual.

So is losing weight as simple as getting enough sleep? No, but when combined with a healthy diet and exercise, sleep is a very important and often overlooked component of losing weight.

To find out more about sleep and weight loss click on the link below.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/lack-of-sleep-weight-gain

Share your experience, leave us a comment.

By Agnieszka

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

All You Need to Know About Narcolepsy


Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes those affected to experience uncontrollable sleep during the day. It affects men and women equally; experts estimate that people with family history of Narcolepsy are 10 times more likely to suffer from it as well. In most cases, the first symptoms occur in early adolescence, but some people may not experience symptoms until they are in their early 20’s.

Classic symptoms of Narcolepsy include:

  • Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
  • Cataplexy, sudden loss of muscle tone is one of the main symptoms of Narcolepsy.
  • Sleep Paralysis. A person isn’t able to move or speak during the attack.
  • Hallucinations (hypnologic hallucinations) transitional state between wakefulness and sleep.

Additionally, a person suffering from Narcolepsy may also experience:

  • Problems with staying asleep during the night.
  • Automatic Behavior, in which a person may function during sleep (talk, walk, put things away.) but awakens with no recollection of such episodes.
  • Loss of sharp vision

The core causes of Narcolepsy aren’t fully known yet. Scientists are researching a theory that would link genetic factors, autoimmunity and REM sleep. We do know, however, that Narcolepsy isn’t caused by mental illness or psychological problems and it is most likely caused by genetic abnormalities that affect the brain.

Narcolepsy itself is not fatal, but its symptoms can lead to death indirectly (e.g. falling asleep while driving).

Famous people who suffer from Narcolepsy include: Jimmy Kimmel (television host, comedian), Nastassja Kinski (actress), and Franck Bouyer (professional cyclist),

If you’d like to explore this topic further, please visit: http://adam.about.com/reports/Narcolepsy.htm

Do you or anyone you know suffer from Narcolepsy? What is the most dangerous episode you had?  Leave us a comment below.

By Agnieszka

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

Sleep Talking

The medical term for this phenomenon is “somniloquy”. It occurs when you talk aloud during sleep. Many people report having experienced sleep talking in their lives. It appears that sleep talking runs in the family and it is reported that it affects as many as 50% of children and 5% of adults. Although Sleep talking is a harmless condition, it is sometimes associated with other sleep disorders such as:

• Sleep terrors,
• Sleepwalking
• Sleep related eating disorder (SRED)
• REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

There are many different cases of sleep talking some range just from a simple word to mumbling sentences that may be difficult to understand and finally to emotional and sometimes even funny speeches. One case in particular drew my attention: The Sleep Talking Man.  Adam Lennard had become an internet sensation after his wife Karen began to record and blog about her “mid-manner husband’s” nightly musings.

Karen’s account of her husband’s sleep talking is described in this article in the Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6983170/Woman-keeps-blog-of-sleep-talking-husbands-funniest-comments.html

Are you a noisy napper?  Or maybe you heard someone else say something interesting or funny while asleep? Leave us a comment.

By Agnieszka.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.