Many people are focused on successfully burning calories and losing weight. We know the traditional methods – proper diet and exercise. These are naturally great things to do and can have a tremendous effect on your body and overall health. But for those people who are very committed to maximizing their weight loss potential, it is also possible to lose calories in their sleep.
Our bodies are obviously active while we’re sleeping even though our minds are not necessarily conscious. There are many systems and processes taking effect while our minds are at rest. During the REM cycle of sleep is when our brains are most active and when our body is burning the greatestnumber of calories and our glucose metabolism increases. There are actually quite a few things you can do to increase the effectiveness of this calorie burning process. Mainly you can work to ensure that you get a good night sleep to maximize the effectiveness of the REM cycle. There are certain foods that you can include in your diet to make this effective:
Nuts
Nuts, specifically walnuts and almonds, have melatonin which is a hormone that is capable of regulating the sleep cycle. Consuming nuts can increase the concentration of melatonin in the blood and help you sleep better.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a food with a large amount of lean protein. Lean protein foods are packed with the amino acid tryptophan. The acid is responsible for increasing serotonin levels. When serotonin levels are low they can result in insomnia.
Warm Milk
A tumbler of warm milk being an effective before the bed sleep agent may be more than just a folk remedy. Milk contains both tryptophan and melatonin which helps to induce sleep.
