How Important is Sleep When Trying to Lose Weight?
22 May 2024
Generally speaking, sleep is incredibly important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A lack of sleep, or adequate sleep can drastically impact an individuals health and metabolic processes. Sleep can also contribute to fatigue, lack of energy, and reduced focus.
So how important is sleep?
To answer this simply: very. But in the context of weight-loss, sleep and getting sufficient sleep is incredibly valuable for maintaining a healthy body. When we sleep, our body recovers from the physical activity during the day, repairs and builds muscles, and refreshes our mind for the new day. Research by UChicago Medicine has also shown that a overweight adults who habitually slept less than 6.5, and increased their total uninterrupted sleep to 8.5 hours reduced their caloric intake by an average of 270 kcal per day! That’s equivalent to 3 bananas, 4 large eggs, or a frosted donut. A lack of sleep also impairs our decision making skills by dulling brain activity. This in turn reduces impulse control and enables bad dietary decisions. Keeping a good sleep schedule is crucial to maintaining a healthy diet, and having a bad one can make weight-loss more challenging.
A good way to view sleep is as a source of nutrition for the brain. Less sleep can trigger a cortisol spike (stress hormone) and signal the body to conserve energy during the day. This means the body is more equipped and likely to hold onto fat; in short terms, sleep deprivation is one of the worst things you can do for weight-loss. Too little sleep can hamper metabolism, reduce the bodies response to insulin, and contribute to long-term weight gain.
The Best Ways to Improve Sleep
Aside from making an effort to follow a sleep schedule, there are plenty of ways to easily improve sleep by building healthy habits. Computers, cell phones, and TV can vastly impair our ability to sleep. Leave these things off and away from the bedroom or nightstand during the evening. Research has also shown that working in the bedroom can reduce relaxation and release, and can disassociate us from seeing the bedroom as a place to rest. Creating a bedtime “ritual” or routine is imperative to building a schedule that facilitates healthy sleep, and to ending the day relaxed.
And of course, it goes without saying to avoid dense, heavy foods before bed. This includes alcohol and sodas – which can stay in our systems for up to 12 hours. Sleeping in the dark cues the body to release melatonin which can help mediate a healthy sleep schedule and naturally fall asleep without having to build habits.
