Healthy Sleep
An essential component to a healthy body and mind
Sleep not only rewards and rejuvenates you after a long day; it is an essential Habit of Health. Sleep helps restore the function of your body's organs, stabilizes balance, and refreshes the part of your brain that governs mood and behavior, as well as the circuitry you need for functioning at work and at play.
Sleep matters
If you chronically feel tired or irritable, find it hard to focus on work and other tasks, or depend on caffeine to function, you may be one of the 50 to 70 million people in the United States who are suffering from an accumulation of lost sleep.
Chronic sleep loss can leave you at risk for :
- reduced productivity and performance
- poor concentration
- psychological stress
- depression and hostility
- a weakened immune system
- a higher risk of heart disease due to increased inflammation and other factors.
Weight matters
Inadequate sleep—less than seven hours a night—can also contribute to weight gain.
When you're sleep-deprived, your body secretes more ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, and less leptin, a substance that signals you to stop eating when you're full.
Sleep loss can also result in a deficit of the feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin, causing an increased hunger for sugary, calorie-laden foods.
In one study conducted by Columbia University Professors Steven Heymsfield and James Gangswisch, Ph.D., people who slept five hours per night were 73% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine nightly hours of sleep.1
1. Gangswisch, JE, Malaspina, D, Boden-Albala B, Heymsfield SB. Inadequate sleep as a risk factor for obesity: Analysis of the NHANES 1. Sleep. 2005; 28:1289-96.
Take Shape For Life makes no claim that these results are representative of all participants on the Take Shape For Life Program. Take Shape For Life recommends you consult with a physician before starting a weight-loss program. Individual results will vary. Fullness Index is a satiety calculation based on a food's fiber, protein, and calorie content. The equation is: (grams of protein per serving + grams of fiber per serving) x 100, divided by number of calories per serving. The higher the number, the more fullness is derived from each calorie. BeSlim® Club Membership: Minimum purchase of $150 required to qualify for free standard shipping offer. First orders over $250 receive 28 free meals. Second orders over $250 receive an additional 28 free meals. See the BeSlim® Club terms and conditions for complete details.
