Peaceful Slumber
Four tips for getting a good night's sleep.
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SUCCUMB TO THE SNOOZE BUTTON: Sleep can sometimes be viewed as a luxury – what parent doesn’t silently beg for five more minutes every morning? But clocking enough hours is more than just something you should look forward to long weekends for – meeting your quota could mean quelling your appetite for sweets.
SLEEP THERAPY: The scientists behind a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition sought to determine the link between sleep and sugar intake. Twenty-one “habitually short sleepers” spent four weeks logging their food intake as their sleep was monitored. Another 21 sleep-deprived subjects did the same but were provided with counselling to help improve their “sleep hygiene,” practices that help promote optimal sleep quality and length.
FEWER CRAVINGS: It turns out these behavioral interventions work. The group that received counselling, such as to avoid caffeine or to not eat immediately before bed, ate an average of 10 fewer grams of added sugars each day than they had at the beginning of the study whereas the non-counselled group actually ate more. Now you’ll have even more motivation to slash added sugar from your diet for better shut-eye!
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Ditch the midnight snacks and keep a sleep diary like the successful slumberers – or try using a sleep analysis app. You may find yourself reaching for the candy bowl with less frequency as the weeks progress.