Sleep your way to beauty and weight loss.

August 11, 2010

Go to bed already! Some things are worth repeating and one is the link between getting sufficient rest and weight loss. Lack of sleep has been also linked to facial wrinkles, heart disease, a weakened immune system, diminished brain function, and just generalized grouchiness. A sixteen-year study at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland involving 70,000 women validated the link between inadequate sleep and weight gain. The findings show that women who received less than five hours of sleep per night were 32% more likely to experience a major weight gain of 33 pounds or more over the course of the study. 33 pounds! This is about two pounds a year, which doesn't seem like much but it adds up quickly. Alas, they didn't measure the grouchiness factor. This is especially important for women of a certain age because weight gain, not to mention a rearranging of weight, is often experienced by menopausal and post-menopausal women. Facial fullness can accentuate sagging features and neckline wrinkles and contributes to the appearance of aging as skin loses firmness and elasticity. Sleep provides critical regeneration time for skin. Somebody once said, "Tomorrow is another day." She was right. So put down the book, turn off the television and go to bed!

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