According to an article published in Chicago Now, for those of you not getting enough sleep at night you may be wondering why all the time you spend at the gym does not seem to be paying off.
Research shows that adults tend to need an average amount of seven hours of sleep per night; the number varies in individuals however, with some people needing as few as five hours and some needing as many as nine.
An insufficient amount of sleep interferes with your daily activities. You may feel fatigued, and thus you may not have the energy to finish your workout routine. Even if you do find the energy to exercise, when you have not obtained the sleep you need, your work out may be done ineffectively.
Research has shown that sleep deprivation can interfere with various hormones, which can lead to adverse health effects. Some of the hormones that are disturbed include cortisol (stress hormone) and leptin, a hormone that suppresses your appetite and regulates your metabolism.
While many people put sleep on the bottom of their priority list, failing to get the sleep you need can affect your over-all mental and physical health. Sleep deprivation is associated with decreased job performance, poor memory and concentration, impaired cognitive performance, increased errors and slower reaction times.
The Tribune reports that results of a study conducted at Harvard University over a ten-year period on 70,000 women show sleeping six hours a night was associated with an 18 percent greater risk of heart attack, and sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night was associated with almost 40 percent higher risk of heart attack. Women who slept for eight hours a night had the lowest risk for heart attack.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides tips on how to increase and improve your sleep, including keeping a sleep schedule, even on the weekends and avoiding exercising within six hours of your bedtime.
