To Sleep In on the Weekends or Not, That is the Question

Experts have been quite adamant that sleeping in on the weekends isn’t the best solution to paying off your sleep debt. Especially if you intend to sleep the entire day away just so you can get back hours of the sleep you’ve missed during the weekdays, you won’t exactly be doing any favors to your body, but might actually make things even worse instead.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleeping in on weekends can throw off your body clock, which, in turn, can wreak your sleeping hygiene for the following week. This can actually be the very cause for your sleep deprivation issues, making the whole activity counterintuitive.

However, there’s no denying that sleeping in on the weekends is one of the most enjoyable and luxurious things that you can do without spending a lot of money. Lots of people may already know that they shouldn’t sleep in but still do it because of the sheer fun of it.

As we’re so fond of staying cozy, we’re also a bit guilty of doing this “bad habit” from time to time. This is why we’re a bit ecstatic to find an emerging research that shows some evidence that sleeping in on the weekends can be beneficial in terms of your BMI (Body Mass Index).

According to a study conducted by specialists in South Korea, those who doesn’t sleep too well during the week and compensates for it on the weekends tend to have slightly lower BMI compared to those who sleep little all week-long. The study has shown that every hour of extra sleep amounted to about 0.12 lower BMI, which can still be a good amount, given that all you have to do is sleep a bit more.

Another study has also shown that sleeping in on the weekends help those who are at risk of diabetes. As sleep deprivation can up your chances of contracting this blood sugar problem, not getting enough zzz’s can lead to serious complications that can even be life-threatening later on. So, a few healthy men were subjected to a few quick tests where they were sleep deprived for 4 days and then allowed extended sleep hours on the next two evenings.

Results have shown that their insulin sensitivity fell by 23% and their bodies produced more insulin to compensate. After the nights when they slept more, their insulin levels bounced back to their normal levels, making the experts theorize that sleeping in may also have its own benefits. However, data for long term practice is unavailable, so we can’t say for certain if the pattern can be an ideal setup for regular people.

So where do we stand in all of these? We’re all for a healthy sleep hygiene, so we like to promote a bit of sleeping in. It should still be limited to an hour or less, though, so you won’t damage your internal body clock and feel tired and sluggish when Monday rolls in. As sleep debt isn’t exactly paid off in increments and can only be handled by sleeping better in general, it’s best if you’ll make the effort to have a better relationship with your slumber to get rid of your sleep debt once and for all.

Ever Heard of the Sleeping Beauty Diet? Here’s Why It’s Dangerous and Won’t Work

We have shared before that sleep can be a great thing for those who want to lose weight. Aside from the rest it provides, letting your sore muscles heal, studies have shown that getting an extra hour of zzz’s actually help you shed some pounds. Scientists have found out that by getting more zzz’s, you’ll rely less on food to energize your day. You’re also less likely to skip your workouts because you’re well oiled and fueled to get going.

Unfortunately, some people have decided to take the idea to the extreme and are already promoting oversleeping to lose weight. The idea is, if you sleep the day away, you won’t have to deal with your hunger and eat, which means you won’t intake any calories that can turn into additional weight.

Promoted by a number of pro-eating disorder websites and blogs, they call this technique the Sleeping Beauty Diet. It got its name from the famous fairy tale character, the Sleeping Beauty, who slept for years due to a curse. Some say that the name also alludes to these groups’ idea of beauty and how sleep can help them achieve it.

In any case, more and more experts are becoming alarmed because of the diet’s growing popularity. Following this diet is certainly bad for your health not only because it promotes unhealthy eating, but also because oversleeping can damage your body as well. Aside from not being able to get the nutrients your body needs because you’re not actually eating anything, oversleeping is also linked to a wide range of various illnesses as well.

Studies show that sleeping too much, especially when combined with depression and low-income status, might up your risks of diabetes, stroke, degenerative diseases, obesity, heart problems, and even death. There are also research on how too much sleep can affect your cognitive functioning and fertility. Overall, you just really shouldn’t risk it.

So if you’re considering of taking the sleep tip to lose weight to a whole new level, we will have to advice against it. The best way to sleep away the pounds off will be through having a good sleep hygiene, combined with exercise and a balanced diet. People may have some claims about shortcuts, but if you want a safe and surefire way to ditch those flabs, this simple formula is still the best one.

 

How to Binge-Watch Your Favorite Shows without Damaging Your Zzz’s

With all of the amazing shows that are just waiting to be watched and the wide array of streaming services easily available today, the pull of watching a whole series in one sitting is just irresistable for many. Sadly, with all of the other things that we need to do, the first thing to go in order to squeeze in some binge watching is our sleep.

But what if we tell you that you can binge and not look like a zombie the next morning? What if there’s a way to still get some zzz’s and catch up to your favorite shows?

How? Here are a few tips:

Have Some Self-Control

Honestly, it all boils down to how much you can stop yourself to watch up to 20 episodes in one sitting. Even if you have the whole day to burn, twenty one-hour episodes will definitely take up your entire day and even eat up the time you should spend sleeping. So, if you want to ditch those spells of dizziness after an all-night binging, you should learn how to stop pressing play on the next episode.

If you’re the type who can’t stop saying “one last episode” into the wee hours of the morning, here are some tricks to help you gain some self-control:

Set an Episode Limit

Budget your time and be okay that you won’t be able to watch the entire season in one day. If it’s a week night, you might want to stick with enough episodes that will only occupy your free time before you hit the hay. Experts say that screens should be turned off 30 minutes before bed, so maybe factor that in as well.

Turn Off the Autoplay Setting

If you’re watching your current show in a streaming websit or app, you’ll probably fall into an endless cycle of episodes until you’ve finished the whole series or season. Without any kind of self-control, this will only leave you spending an entire day glued to your screen. So you should definitely turn off the autoplay setting.

By being able to stop between each episode, you can actually take some breaks and re-evaluate what you’re doing right now. Sometimes all you need is a pause to remember that you need to go to the bathroom or to assess if you’ll still be able to stay awake for the entirety of the next episode.

There’s nothing wrong with having to click next every after episode, because sometimes, it’s all you need to control yourself from binge watching til the sun comes up. Keep in mind that it really doesn’t matter if you don’t get to finish your show in one sitting – what happens next will still be the same whether you watch it right now or you watch it tomorrow or even next week.

By learning how to control yourself from clicking “next episode” might even help you save some time in the process because you’ll be re-watching the start of the episode again if you fell asleep halfway through, right? So just skip the hassle and stop yourself from falling asleep while binge watching with the help of a good dose of self-control.

Start Watching on Your Commute

While we’re on the topic of efficiency, why don’t you start watching your shows on your commute instead? Not only will this make the traffic more bearable, but it can also help you make more out of your time. With most of the people in Metro Manila spending up to 5 hours in traffic in a day, that will already let you dent your show’s episode list in a single day.

This will work best if you have a sizeable storage space in your device or if the app you’re using offers offline viewing. However, just make sure to still pay attention to your surrounding, even when you’re so engrossed with what you’re watching. Pause the show while walking and maybe don’t squeal and giggle with kilig, as well as gasp or laugh out loud if you can help it.

Use Blue Light Controlling Apps

Although experts recommend that you don’t watch your shows in bed, we really won’t ask you to do that because we know our cozy mattresses are some of the most perfect spots for binge-watching. Especially now that bed weather’s here and we have a few long weekends scheduled, we just can’t stop you from getting cozy and enjoying a relaxed time at home.

What we’ll strongly recommend, however, is that you use blue light controlling apps instead. There are tons to choose from that will work best for almost every kind of screen so you don’t have to worry about finding one. You’ll just have to deal with some color discrepancies, though, but it shouldn’t be too bothersome, really.

Binge Watching and Sleep

Sleep and binge watching shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, you just need to take necessary steps to make both work out for you. Hopefully, with these steps, you do get to enjoy both.

Sleep More to Get a Healthier Social Life

It’s a common notion that those who love to be around people tend to sacrifice their zzz’s to do so. Having a busy social life means you’re engaged all day long, leaving you less time for sleep. This is why it might come as a surprise that experts are now saying that if you want to have a better social life, you might just want to get more shuteye.

So, how does sleep and your social life work together? Experts say that by looking tired, people will want to socialise with you less. This might just sound very judgmental and shallow, but it’s actually a learned behavior just like when people avoid soicializing with those who look sickly. It has a lot to do with our sense of self-preservation.

Although looking tired doesn’t necessarily mean  you look unhealthy, there are still tons of reasons why people will avoid you if your sleeplessness is starting to show. Lots of research give enough reason why you actually have to avoid someone who hasn’t been sleeping well.

For one, you get less empathetic when you’re sleep deprived and no one wants to be around someone who can’t emphatize with them when they’re down. You’ll also be more pessimistic, which folks just generally don’t want to be around with in general. Then, there’s the fact that sleep deprived people are prone to crankiness. Because everyone tends to get cranky when they’re tired, lots of people know better than approach someone who looks tired.

You might be thinking, why should other people’s judgement make you change your lifestyle? Well, it’s really up to you. While you’re not really required to sleep more so people will like you better, there are still tons of other benefits to sleeping better, so it wouldn’t really be a superficial thing. Who knows, being grumpy may not exactly be in your nature? You might be a perky, jolly fellow with ample zzz’s, so why not give it a shot anyway?

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