If you're eating the South Beach Diet way and exercising regularly, you're already on the path toward a longer, healthier life. But there's another step you can take: getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night. The National Sleep Foundation's 2007 Sleep in America poll reveals that 60 percent of American women aren't meeting their sleep needs. If you fall into this category, a lack of sleep may be affecting your ability to lose weight and keep it off.

According to recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and Lancet, sleep deprivation can negatively influence the stress hormone called cortisol. The result? If you aren't getting adequate sleep, you may find you're hungry even after eating a sufficient amount of food. In addition to affecting appetite control, sleep loss can also interfere with carbohydrate metabolism (the process of breaking down carbs). This leads to an increase in blood glucose (sugar) levels, causing insulin to be released, which can lead to weight gain and increased fat storage.

Fortunately, you can prevent these problems — and potentially jump-start weight loss or overcome a weight-loss stall — by taking the following precautions to help you get a good night's sleep:

• Reserve your bed for sleeping and intimacy only — paying bills, watching TV, and other sleep-robbing activities should be conducted elsewhere.
• Don't go to bed hungry. Enjoy a light snack, like a reduced-fat cheese stick or a slice of lean deli meat before bedtime.
• Refrain from exercise three hours before bedtime since exercise releases the hormone epinephrine, which can make you more alert. But log some exercise time during the day, which may improve your ability to sleep.
• Don't drink caffeine (a stimulant) within several hours of retiring to bed. Alcohol should also be avoided within hours of bedtime as it can cause early awakening. And, of course, if you still smoke, quit.
• If you typically have trouble sleeping at night, avoid napping during the day.
• If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing (take a bath, read a magazine, record your thoughts in a journal) until you feel sleepy.
• Make sure your environment is conducive to sleeping (comfortable light, sound, and temperature).
• Be consistent about the time you go to bed and what time you wake up each day — even on weekends!