Going to Bed Before 10 P.M.
"This is an excellent strategy to stay slim, as late nights are linked to craving salty, savory treats and overeating," says Dr. David Grotto, M.D., author of The Best Things You Can Eat. What's more, research shows that every hour of sleep you get before midnight is worth two hours of sleep after midnight!
"Sleep is the forgotten aspect of fitness, weight loss, and health," says Dr. Shawn Talbott, Ph. D., author of The Vigor Diet: The New Science of Feeling Your Best. "But without getting those eight hours, we are overexposing our body to the stress hormone cortisol, which stimulates cravings for junk food, breaks down muscle tissue, and stimulates belly-fat storage."
Try to establish a bedtime routine, and consider exercising earlier in the day to help tire you out. After that it's a matter of just doing it. If you're used to super late-nights, start by pushing your bedtime up 30 minutes or one hour at a time. Dr. Brody cautions that "although we all know what it feels like to be tired, stay up past your body's signals to sleep and you can get a ‘second wind' that can keep you from falling asleep."
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