The daily routine you follow has a slow and long-term effect on the mental and physical health. How much you sleep, what time you wake up and the diet and lifestyle can all together hugely impact the people who are fitness conscious.
If you are the one for whom staying fit is important then this article will surely be an add on to your fitness journey.
Since we are discussing sleep it is important to know that an adult needs a sleep of 7-8 hours a day. One must also make sure that along with hours you get a quality sleep. As the research shows that adults who are sleeping for long hours lack sleep quality.
People who are health conscious do find a way out to stay fit and healthy even though they might not get time to go out to gymnasium to indulge into other outdoor activities. They are easily able to maintain an ideal weight while sitting at home by following the basic things.
To maintain an ideal body weight, it is important to balance the energy intake and energy burned. The body gains weight when the intake of calories exceeds the calories burned as a result there is excess fat accumulated in the body parts.
How much weight you put on or reduce off-course depends upon the diet and lifestyle but also the time you keep yourself on the bed determines your body weight. So too much or too less rest can affect the body weight.
People who work from home and the home makers usually have a habit of taking an afternoon nap. It actually benefits the body by improving the metabolism, lowers the stress and is good for mental health. Lack of sleep can cause hunger pangs and make you eat more.
In people leading a sedentary lifestyle the resting metabolic rate expends around 60-75 % of the energy. Even when the person sleeps there is expenditure of energy that acts as a fuel for a body to function. The energy burned varies from person to person and so does the process of weight loss. Losing weight is a slow process and takes a long period of time.
Sleeping in afternoon might cause weight gain but if the energy consumed and burned is well balanced then it might not be a responsible factor for weight gain. The work environment and the food culture leaves many of us to consume more calories and burn less. As a result, there is increase in obese and over-weight people in the population.
According to the research it is observed that people who suffer from lack of sleep are more prone to gain weight than the ones who get adequate amounts of sleep. Lack of sleep leads to decline in hormones leptin and ghrelin, as a result it makes you feel hungry. But this applies to night sleep.
Also sleeping in the afternoon helps. It is beneficial for mental and physical health. There is a myth that afternoon naps cause weight gain but this does not hold true. Infact taking a power nap after lunch keeps you fresh and more productive for the rest of the day. According to the dieticians and nutritionists a sleep of 15-30 minutes post lunch can improve the overall health of an individual.
Afternoon nap should always be preferred between 1 to 3 pm and one must avoid sleeping later than this time. Sleeping in the afternoon benefits the overall health, makes you more productive and is beneficial for weight loss journey.
Some believe that it leads to weight gain but let us clear the doubt with the fact that hitting the bed soon after intake of meal causes weight gain. This is not just restricted to afternoon sleep but also the night sleep. So, to avoid weight gain it is important to maintain a gap of 1-2 hours after a meal and before going to bed.
Sleeping just after a meal causes acidity and disturbs the process of digestion thus leading to weight gain. To prevent yourself from all these risks it is always recommended to take an afternoon nap but not just after having your meal.
The choice of food you make before taking a nap also impacts the body weight. A diet rich in salad will have a different impact than having potato chips before you fall in bed. Thus, we see that weight gain, sleep pattern and diet are interlinked.
If you find it difficult to deal with these three then taking help from the healthcare professionals will help you manage your sleep, diet and ultimately will have a positive effect on the body weight. You will see the changes within you. You feel more energetic and become more productive and engaging in whatever work you perform.
Hence sleeping in the afternoon might cause weight gain and may also help in promoting weight loss. What outcome you need depends on what type of food you eat and the pattern of sleep. Thus sleeping in the afternoon does not work as a trigger for weight gain unless it is accompanied by wrong habits.