Need a Good Night's Sleep - Got Milk?

As we've already established, sleep is one of the easiest things you can do to aid in your weight loss. But with the extremely busy, stressful lives many of us lead, a good night's sleep can be as elusive as the rumored pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

While there are many sleep aids, many can become addictive and have unpleasant side effects. One of the most natural and cheapest sleep aids is a glass of warm milk. Milk helps promote better sleep and tastes pretty good to boot. Yes, the simple remedy your momma gave you as a child can still work for you as an adult.

Not realizing that her goal was to put me to bed quick, my mother used to give me warm milk and cookies at bed time just about every night. And yes - I slept like the baby I was. So if you want to sleep like a baby - drink up - 'cause that good night sleep could turn into a great day on the scale.

The "Easiest" Thing I Can Do Tonight To Help Manage My Weight

Last week I stepped off the curb and into the path of oncoming traffic.

Fortunately, I made it across the street okay, but it was definitely a wake up call. I was essentially sleepwalking through my day on about 4-5 hours of sleep.

Unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence for me. I get in bed somewhere between 2-3:30am and am up at around 7:30am. Most days I think I "manage" it well but others, like that day, I know it's a problem.

I've always known about the link between lack of sleep and weight gain. I have a friend who recently lost a good amount of weight and credits his success in part to always getting a good night's sleep - at least 7 hours. With my average of 4 hours of sleep, I am missing out on one of the most crucial phases of the sleep process.

Phase 1: During this phase, a person is in between wake and sleep. The person can be awakened easily.

Phase 2: This is a period of light sleep during which body temperature drops.

Phase 3 and Phase 4: These are the phases during which a person experiences an increasingly deeper stage of sleep called delta sleep. During this restorative stage, the body is repairing itself, building bone and muscle and releasing certain hormones.

I know better than to think that I can just go home tonight, firmly pledging to sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night. I need to take small steps to change my habits.

Here a few tips from the article, "Sleep Your Way To Slim:"

• Instead of trying to adhere to a strict lights-out policy every night, aim to get in bed early at least one night per week.
• Ease yourself into your slumber session with a bath.
• Eating a carb-based mini-meal of no more than 200 calories 45 minutes before drifting off can raise serotonin levels, helping you relax and sleep well. Try a whole-wheat English muffin with a tablespoon of honey or a cup of instant oatmeal with 1/4 cup of chopped apple.

How many hours of sleep are you getting on average each night?