It's January, and alongside all your other dreams for 2016, one of your resolutions will probably be that this is the year you're going to lose weight and get fit.

But did you know that getting enough sleep each night can really help with your fitness goals?

Which means having a lie in instead of an early morning gym session is actually better for you! Well, maybe not...

However, according to research, people who get around 8 hours sleep a night can reduce their stress levels and have double the chance of slimming down, alongside many other health benefits.

The Research

According to a study carried out by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland US, people who had less than six hours sleep or more than eight hours sleep per day were less likely to lose weight. The results support previous research linking sleep problems to obesity.

However, this does not mean that a poor sleep pattern directly causes obesity, but if a candidate wasn't getting enough sleep, it was harder for them to stick to their weight loss programme.

Lack of sleep can trigger a hormonal reaction which results in an intake of energy-dense food – usually high carb and high sugar foods, which become a “coping behaviour”.

We've all been too tired to cook a healthy meal and reached for a takeaway menu instead, or needed an energy boost so grabbed a chocolate bar or energy drink. Once or twice alongside a healthy lifestyle is fine, but if you constantly find yourself doing this, that is where the problem starts.

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There's no doubt that Christmas is the most exciting time of the year for most children. And for parents, the kids' smiles as they tear layers of wrapping paper from their gifts is what makes the festive period so special.

But there's one problem that all parents face in the build up to the big day:

Getting your child to sleep on Christmas Eve.

It's understandable that they're excited – but that doesn't mean you want to be getting up at silly o'clock in the morning with them.

So we've put together some ideas for how to get them to sleep on Christmas Eve...

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Everyone knows that you need sleep. And there are few better feelings in life than sinking into a comfortable bed after a long and tiring day.

But for many people, sleep isn't a priority. The thing is, it should be. There are many health benefits of sleep, so not getting enough can take its toll on your body.

We've pulled back the covers on some of the key advantages of sleep, by looking at some studies and scientific evidence that support each claim.

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It barely feels as though a week has passed since we were last tucking into our Christmas dinners. But, like it or not, the festive season is fast approaching once again!

With that in mind, now might be the perfect time to start getting your home ready for the Christmas countdown.

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If you work shifts, you probably know how hard it can be to sleep. You might well have suffered from lack of sleep, or at least found yourself struggling to nod off when it's bright daylight outside.

What you might not realise is that there's actually a real condition associated with shift work and sleep patterns. It's called Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWSD), and it can be a nightmare (excuse the pun) for anyone who suffers.

If you regularly find yourself unable to sleep, or you're simply a shift worker looking for some tips on how to sleep better and avoid SWSD, this is the post for you.

Keep reading to find out what the signs of Shift Work Sleep Disorder are, who's most at risk, and how you can avoid it.

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