Sleep better to conquer MUNCHIE CRAVINGS

Getting a refreshing night’s sleep can be the ultimate win/win situation for a dieter. Losing weight can make you sleep better, which can make you lose weight.

Many of us know that after a bad night’s sleep we get ‘the munchies’, which for me include cravings for sugary treats.

Being sleep- deprived disrupts our appetite hormones, making us more likely to feel hungry and less likely to feel full.

in fact, sleep- deprived people consume, on average, an extra 385 calories a day — equivalent to a large slice of cake, a review of studies carried out by researchers at King’s College London found.

Also, the areas of your brain associated with reward become more active. You become much more likely to eat unhealthy foods such as crisps and chocolate.

Another study showed children are affected, too. Researchers took some three and four year olds, all afternoon nappers, deprived them of their sleep and kept them up for two hours past their bedtime.

the following day, the children ate 21 per cent more calories than usual, including 25 per cent more sugary snacks. they were then allowed to sleep as much as they wanted. the next day, they still consumed 14 per cent more calories than previously.

OVERWEIGHT AND LACKING SLEEP

LACK of sleep makes you fatter, but piling on extra fat (particularly around the gut and neck) also means you sleep more badly. it is a vicious circle.

When i was an overweight diabetic, i slept badly — in part, because i snored heavily. When i lost weight, not only did my blood sugar levels return to normal, but i stopped snoring. My wife, Clare, was delighted!

Being overweight also greatly raises your risk of having sleep apnoea, a disorder that causes you to stop breathing hundreds of times a night. this will make you really tired and hungry and it is terrible for the brain.

So, if you are a snorer, then losing weight will really help your sleep.

TOP TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

Setting a sleep routine — and sticking to it — is an important step towards getting better rest each night.

Here are some of my other tips for improving your sleep routine.

WHen you wake up your body starts to release a chemical called adenosine, levels of which build through the day and, ultimately, help make you sleepy at night. if you sleep in, you restrict the time for adenosine levels to grow — so you won’t feel tired enough to sleep at night. that’s why i go to bed at 11pm and rise at 7am — even at weekends.

MAKe YouR bedroom a sleep sanctuary. Banish tVs or laptops so you associate it only with sleep.

Scrolling through the web on your phone or iPad will excite the brain and keep you awake.

AVoid too much time in bed. if you find you go to bed and lie awake for hours, you will learn to associate it with sleeplessness.

if you wake in middle of the night and can’t get off again, get up, find a quiet place to listen to music or read a book.

go back to bed only when you feel tired and don’t go up to bed too early.

eAt A Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruit, vegetables and healthy fats such those found in olive oil and nuts — the anti-inflammatory properties will reduce the agony of painful joints, so aiding sleep.

it will also help with neuroinflammation (inflammation in the brain and nerve tissue), which can strike as we get older and can interrupt our sleep.