Have you been working late every second day and partying till the wee hours of the morning on weekends?
If you are not getting the right amount of sleep, you can kiss your youth goodbye by the time you are 35.
DID YOU KNOW
Your body produces a growth hormone called Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) while you are sleeping. And this hormone does your body a world of good.
Here's how sleep can help you stay pretty, slim and smart...
Get refreshed
While you run around all day, working late and attending PTA meetings, your body spends all the oxygen you breathe in.
But when you sleep, the oxygenation process is at its peak because there is no activity. So your body is getting refreshed with the oxygen supply. The stored oxygen helps keep your tissues, muscles and bones in shape.
Before the end of the day your body's supply of oxygen is used up. So if you don't get a good night's sleep, you are actually depriving your body of oxygen to a great extent and are likely to feel drained the next day.
If your body does not get enough oxygen, it will not produce the energy for metabolism. As a result, your metabolic rate reduces and toxic wastes accumulate in your body. Apart from that, your thinking process is slowed and you may even become non-reflexive due to the lack of oxygen supply to your brain.
Do cat naps work?
No. Cat naps will only give you temporary relief from fatigue. You will feel rejuvenated only for a couple of hours but it won't do any good overall.
Reduce hunger pangs
The hormone Leptin is responsible for suppressing appetite and the Grehlin hormone increases the urge to eat. Once you have eaten enough, your body releases Leptin and you won't feel hungry anymore.
However, lack of sleep reduces the level of Leptin in your body and increases the level of Grehlin instead. So, you are likely to have constant hunger pangs and eat much more than you should. The slow metabolic rate will only add to your weight gain.
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Prevent saggy skin
During teen years, DHEA is at its peak. That is why your skin looks supple and young. However, in your thirties, your responsibilities as a mom and a career woman could leave you overburdened. That is when your body uses DHEA to produce the stress hormone, cortisol.
For those of you who really find it difficult to get the required amount of sleep i.e. at least eight hours, here's what you can do.
If your infant keeps you up all night, try to get that sleep when she is sleeping. Avoid watching TV, doing chores, cooking etc when he is sleeping.
You could also get some undisturbed sleep in the early morning. Ask your mother-in-law to watch the baby from about six to eight in the morning. If you live alone, ask your husband to spend those few hours with the baby before he leaves for work.
You work late hours
If you stay late and are expected to come back early the next morning, you must make up for lost sleep the next day, and not three days later or over the weekend. That won't work. It just leads to further lethargy because your body gets into the deep sleep mode.
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