How to Sleep Better, Lose Weight, and Live Longer

Did you know that sleep deprivation makes you fat? Dr. Mark Hyman gives tips to help you to not only sleep better, but also lose weight and live longer.

You can lose weight without changing what you eat or doing one minute of exercise! It's a bold claim. And don't get me wrong: Nutrition and exercise are important! But there's another key to weight loss -- and most people don't even know about it. It's sleep.

In fact, besides eating whole foods and moving your body, getting enough sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health. On the flip side, sleep deprivation makes you fat -- AND leads to depression, pain, heart disease, diabetes, and much more. Read more

Do Cold Temperatures Improve Sleep?

If insomnia is a problem, maybe your bedroom is too hot or too cold. Both can affect sleep.

Studies have found that in general, the optimal temperature for sleep is quite cool, around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures that fall too far below or above this range can lead to restlessness.

Temperatures in this range help facilitate the decrease in core body temperature that in turn initiates sleepiness. A growing number of studies are finding that temperature regulation plays a role in many cases of chronic insomnia. Read more

16 Tips for Getting Good Sleep

Do you suffer from insomnia? Tiredness, irritability, and a loss of concentration are just some of the side effects of insomnia. Even losing sleep a few nights a week can significantly impair your ability to function and decrease the quality of your life. Not getting enough sleep also leads to poor memory. If sleep deprivation continues, hallucinations, and mood swings will develop.

It is very important that you find your cause of insomnia and an insomnia cure as soon as possible. Getchen Rubin, a writer working on The Happiness Project, gives sixteen tips that helped her get better sleep.

There's a lot of advice out there about getting good sleep -- it's VERY important. We quickly adjust to being sleep-deprived, and don't notice that we aren't functioning at a normal level, but lack of sleep really affects us. If you're feeling blue or listless, try going to sleep thirty minutes earlier for a week. It can really help.

Here are tips that have helped me get good sleep: Read more

12 Steps to Better Sleep

From having occasional difficulty sleeping to insomnia, there is a lot you can do to get a better night's sleep, feel refreshed when you awake, and remain alert throughout the day. We all have trouble sleeping from time to time, but you can sleep better every night by following these 12 simple steps.

1) Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Get up at the same time each morning, regardless of the previous night’s sleep, to help set your biological clock.

2) To consolidate and deepen sleep, restrict the amount of sleep to only as much as needed to feel refreshed during the following day - usually 7-8 hours.

3) Arrange the bedroom so that it is a comfortable setting. Insulate it against sound and light by using carpets and curtains. Ear plugs and eye masks may be helpful.

4) Keep the room at a cool to moderate temperature. Excessive heat disturbs sleep.

5) Use the bedroom for sleeping and sexual activity only.

6) Turn off your phone.

7) Avoid liquids before going to sleep to minimize nighttime trips to the bathroom. If liquids are not a problem, try drinking warm milk at bedtime.

8) Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeinated beverages, especially in the evening. Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, it causes subsequent sleep to be fragmented.

9) Avoid napping longer than one hour or after 4 pm.

10) Exercising regularly helps deepen sleep, but strenuous exercise should be completed no later than three hours before going to bed.

11) Try a relaxation techniques, such as, biofeedback, meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, or massage to prepare the mind and body for sleep.

12) As far as possible, work out family or job-related problems before going to sleep.

It is becoming increasing clear how critical sound sleep is to your health and well-being, Many sleep problems go unrecognized for years, leading to unnecessary suffering, poor quality of life, accidents, and great expense. Following the 12 steps to better sleep can have a tremendous impact upon your overall health and quality of life.

To get FREE access to the exclusive series "What Are the 7 Biggest Mistakes Most Insomniacs Make?" click here. To read my review of the two best resources for better sleep you can choose, go to my blog Better Sleep.