As you sleep, faster to gain muscle mass and improve the quality of sex

It is from hormones depends on the quality of our sleep and how many calories will go to building muscle, but how much - in fat stores to eventually be thus extra centimeters, which hides cubes press or ideal waist.

Hormones - are small, but all-powerful regulators, go against the will of which is practically impossible. This means that for best results you need to make sure that the body produce more "Good" hormones (growth hormones and hormones of joy), than the "bad" (stress hormones), that is, how to use them to rule.

Appetite: ghrelin and leptin

Meet ghrelin and leptin - they are responsible for how much food you eventually eat. Ghrelin makes you feel hungry, and leptin tells when warehouses with energy filled to overflowing, and makes it clear that you would have time to stop and this slice of pizza is obviously superfluous.

Once in the bloodstream, these hormones are sent to the hypothalamus, and there begins the struggle with alternate margin in one direction and then in another direction. Usually this occurs in healthy people. However, once you stop taking care of yourself, the body can develop leptin resistance. As a result, all the victories will accrue to ghrelin, which means you'll be constantly hungry.

Can this be avoided? Of course you can! The solution is banal - observance of sleep, as well as sufficient quantity. This is the case when you just magically starts to pull to the refrigerator, if you go to bed on time.

Research at the University of Pennsylvania showed that people who slept less than 6 hours a day, feel the bursts of "Night of appetite" - the level of ghrelin in the blood increases, while the levels of leptin decreases. Option "otosplyus weekend" here does not work, says Dr. Ofer Reyzes (Ofer Reizes), so if you want a flat stomach, you need to respect the sleep every day.

Metabolism: Thyroid hormones

Thyroid hormones generates T₃ and T₄Who travel through our bodies and reported each cell, how much energy it must produce and spend. "That is what determines the speed of your basal metabolism - how many calories you spend on maintaining the basic functions of the body, "- says MD Steven Lamm (Steven Lamm).

Even a slight decrease in T₃ and T₄ It may lead to a slower metabolism and weight gain. If the reduction happened suddenly, it may be a sign of autoimmune diseases (Hashimoto's thyroiditis), or tumor.

If you want to help your thyroid gland, eat more foods containing iodine. RDA - 150 micrograms. Good sources of this trace element are seafood, dairy products and eggs as well as vegetables (asparagus, beets, tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, onions, potatoes), fresh herbs (parsley, spinach, dill), fruits and berries (especially grapes), nuts and legumes (beans, peas).

Muscle growth: IGF-1 and growth hormone

Growth hormone triggers the production of insulin-like growth factor-1 - IGF-1. Together, these two hormones metabolize fat and use this energy to strengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Our body produces growth hormone to a certain age, and as soon as we reach 20 years, the level of production falls by 15% each subsequent decade.

In order to increase the production of these hormones naturally, should be carried out periodically to truly killer workout to your body "burning" of the effort. "We need to work almost to the point of exhaustion," - says Jacob Wilson (Jacob Wilson), a doctor and editor of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Use the most heavy weight, perform 3-4 sets with 8-12 repetitions of each with him. Rest between sets should take no longer than 60 seconds.

Indicator correctness of your actions - burning sensation in the muscles. This means that the chemical environment of your body becomes more acidic, which leads to increased secretion of growth hormone.

Sleep: melatonin

melatonin - the main hormone of the pineal gland, a regulator of circadian rhythms. Changes in melatonin concentration in the pineal gland and in the blood have a significant circadian rhythm: a high level of the hormone during the night and low - during the day.

Christopher Winter (Christopher Winter), medical consultant Men's Health, said that the production of melatonin in the body reaches its peak between 2 and 4 o'clock in the morning.

Cycles of melatonin in the pineal gland are based on our perception of blue colors - short-wavelength rays that the sun emits, as well as the screens of gadgets and TVs. If you spend a lot of time in front of screens after sunset, you knock down your natural sleep cycle and eventually the night peak of melatonin tolerated... in the morning, at the same time, when you have time to wake up work!

To control the production of this hormone is very simple: in the evening as soon as you need to move away from any screen possible. According to studies at Harvard University, even highlighting the e-book can shift cycle for half an hour.

Libido: testosterone

Testosterone is involved in the transfer of the protein your muscles, enhances sexual desire and increases the number of sperm in the semen. As a rule, the level of testosterone in men decreases with age, but this can be avoided. Reduced testosterone levels due to aging so that older people are less sedentary lives and gaining excess weight.

Recently, Imperial College London, led the study, which was attended by more than 3200 men over the age of 40 years. It was found that three quarters of them have low testosterone levels and were suffering from overweight or even obesity.

Control the level of testosterone is quite simple. To do this, you need to limit yourself to drinking (alcohol interferes with chemical reactions that involved in the production of testosterone in the liver and testes) and lead a more active lifestyle - do sport.

Fat Burning: irizin

Do you know what the brown adipose tissue? In contrast to the white, brown fat is solid and metabolically active, meaning it burns more easily. Active brown adipose tissue is not constant, but only at low ambient temperatures.

White fat can be transformed into brown, and this can help us to a special hormone - irizin.

The existence of this hormone has been confirmed in the last year, and the data about it are not very many, but there is a way activate the transformation of white fat into brown - to keep themselves in the cold: a contrast shower, winter swimming and so on.

If you do not want to freeze yourself, then you have to load the large muscles of the body, for example quadriceps. Biking or saykl workout perfectly suited for this.

Energy: insulin

Insulin is responsible for moving sugar and fat from the blood into fat and muscle cells for storage. If the body stops responding to the hormone, it can lead to a jump in blood sugar levels and the development of Type II diabetes.

Very useful short rise insulin immediately after training. He sends many straight to tired muscles sugar and our body uses this sugar (glycogen) for recovery of energy reserves.

Control insulin levels is possible by means of food: eat carbohydrates immediately after a workout, that is, to close the carbohydrate window. Research at the University of Oklahoma showed that for every 500 g of the body weight of 0.6 grams of carbs you need. That is, the guy weighing about 80 kg is to be about 96 g carbohydrate. And do not forget to add a little protein to that snacking - it will help to restore muscle.