You snooze you lose!

You probably think that this is something about not winning because you didn't turn in your points! Actually, it's about how sleep affects weight.

Dr. Nancy Sniderman (medical expert often appearing on the Today show) says, "Sleep is as important as the food you put in your mouth."

An estimated 63% of Americans don't get enough sleep, and roughly the same percent are overweight or obese. Could there be a connection?

Glamour Magazine recently did a study to see what affect more sleep would have on participants' weight. They asked them not to make any diet or exercise changes, just to get seven and a half hours of sleep every night. At the end of the 10 week study the women who participated had lost 6-15 lbs!

If you are interested in the science behind why this works, click here to read the full article in Glamour, and/or watch the video from the Today show. (It's really quite interesting, I recommend it.)

If you don't care how it works, but just want to get the results of better sleep, here is what the article suggests:
#1 Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (you can go to bed a little late on the weekends, but make sure you are getting those 7 1/2 hours!)
#2 Start a bedtime routine. 45 min to 1 hour before you plan to go to bed, turn off your TV, computer, blackberry, cell phone, etc, and do something relaxing. Light reading, a hot bath, stretching... this is the perfect time to earn an extra point! Doing some relaxing yoga can count as a toning point, or reading can count as a 30-min something-you-like point, or you could read your scriptures and get that point!
#3 Watch your caffeine and alchohol habits. Okay, I know this one is probably not a problem for anyone here, but if you do drink caffeinated sodas or teas, make sure you don't do it after 2:30 pm.
#4 Experiment with how much sleep you really need. If you’re snoozing seven and a half hours and still can’t wake up without your alarm, you need more. Try hitting the sack 15 minutes earlier each night until you reach the perfect time for you — it may take a week or so before you reach your own ideal sleep number.

There is one part about the study that they sort of indirectly mentioned that I think needs a little emphasis. When they talk about getting 7 1/2 hours of sleep, they don't mean random sleep. They are talking about normal, regular sleep/wake cycles. ("Sleep hygiene" they called it.) I think it is best put in the Doctine and Covenants, "...retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." (88:124)