Sleep is essential for overall health and well-being. Getting around 8 hours of quality sleep not only supports mental health and lowers the risk of major illnesses, but it can also aid in reducing belly fat.
According to Dr Ashley Lucas, PhD nutritionist and dietitian, she swears by a sleep rule that can actually help one lose belly fat: it is the acronym 10-3-2-1-0.
In a video shared by Dr Josh Axe, on May 30, Dr Ashley explained the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule.
Dr Josh, clinical nutritionist, called it a 'game-changer for melting stubborn belly fat. “It’s not another fad diet, but a blueprint for syncing your sleep and meals so your body can truly rest, recover, and stop hoarding those extra pounds.”
The 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule
Explaining the sleep rule, Dr Ashley said that when you shift your diet and are able to reduce the inflammation and lower the insulin, you actually start to sleep better. Here's how the 10-3-2-1-0 rule works:
- Per Dr Ashley, 10 is the hours before bed when you want to stop consuming caffeine. She stated, “Caffeine has a different half-life for different people, which is genetically determined. Sometimes, even when we drink caffeine in the morning, we still have some residual caffeine left over when it is bedtime.”
- 3 hours before bed, no more food or alcohol.
- 2 hours before bed, no more screens.
- 1 hour before bed, no more work.
- 0 is the time when you'll hit the snooze button the next day.
How does stress factor in this?
According to the expert, stress also plays a significant role. She stressed that in today's society, we often view stress negatively, which carries a negative connotation.
“When we perceive stress negatively, our body secretes cortisol. Elevated insulin levels combined with elevated cortisol create a hormonal cascade that actually brings our fat from the rest of the body to be stored in the belly and helps to accumulate deep, visceral, active belly fat,” she explained.
This belly fat stimulates the body to secrete hormone-sensitive lipase. “I imagine this hormone as a vacuum sucker that resides on the fat cells in our belly, drawing in more fat,” Dr Ashley added.
Moreover, this process also increases when women have lower estrogen levels. During perimenopause and menopause, women experience elevated cortisol and elevated hormone-sensitive lipase. If they also have elevated insulin levels, it creates a perfect storm for storing more fat in the belly, Dr Ashley explained.
Source: Hindustan Times
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
