THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP FOR BOOSTING YOUR METABOLISM

Metabolism is the means by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when you’re sitting still or fast asleep, your body needs energy for functions such as breathing, heartbeat and blood circulation, hormone production, and growing and healing cells.

It’s not always easy to get your full requirement of sleep each night, especially with work, family or study demands. But if your aim is to maintain your weight or lose a few pounds, then getting enough sleep each night is really important for a healthy and properly functioning metabolism.

It’s actually pretty normal for sleepdeprived people to find that they gain an extra few pounds without changing their diet, as a lack of sleep can lead to various metabolic issues. It can cause you to burn fewer overall calories, run into problems with appetite control, and experience an increase in cortisol levels, which encourages the body to store fat around the middle.

One of the best and easiest things you can do to boost your metabolism is get enough sleep. Sufficient sleep for most people tends to be between seven and nine hours.

2 Place the sweet potatoes on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until they’re soft and easy to slice. 3 Meanwhile, heat the tamari or water in a saucepan set over a medium heat and cook the onion, pepper and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Stir in the black beans, tomato passata, spices and seasoning and gently simmer the chilli for another 5 minutes, until heated through. Remove from the heat and mix in the spinach leaves, allowing them to wilt. 4 When the sweet potatoes are baked, allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing them down the middle lengthways, but don’t cut them all the way through. Open them out a bit, then spoon on the chilli and garnish with plenty of chopped fresh parsley.