Whether you’re seeking to shed pounds or reach your weight loss goals, you might be overlooking a critical factor: the quality and quantity of your sleep. Adequate sleep should be one of the essential pillars in your Weight Management Program. This blog looks at the link between weight and sleep, covering topics like whether poor sleep adds to weight loss or gain, the advisable sleep duration for weight management, the optimal sleep timing for weight loss, and other problems.
Sleep and weight loss
In a study on sleep and weight loss which included 80 adults, researchers assessed the relationship between sleep patterns and decreased calorie consumption. The results showed that adults who slept for an average of 8 hours each night were capable of decreasing their calorie consumption. And, a positive effect was seen on their weight loss patterns.
Is inadequate sleep responsible for weight loss or weight gain?
Over a long time, it has been established that people who do not get sufficient hours of sleep (recommended are 8 hours each night), their capacity to control their appetite can get hindered badly. In addition, when a person gets less sleep, the responses in your brain’s frontal lobe get hampered. This part of the brain is accountable for controlling your impulses and your decision-making abilities. Hence, they feel starved and at times causes slow metabolism and certainly weight gain.
Does afternoon sleep lead to weight gain?
If possible, it is better not to sleep in the afternoon. This is because you can get sufficient and good quality sleep at night. Sound sleep goes a long way to improve your metabolism.
How Does Sleep Aid in Weight Loss?
Below are a few points by which you can understand how sleep for weight loss works:
- When a person does not sleep for the advisable hours every night, his or her body begins getting starved of that mandatory rest time. As a result, the body goes into sleep deprivation mode.
- When a person’s body gets inadequate sleep regularly, it begins to notice an increase in late-night snacking movement.
- And, late night snacking often leads to an increased intake of high-fat and high-carb foods.
- In addition, when a person is not able to sleep continuously, he or she is expected to consume bigger portions of food. And, this may directly have an effect on the amount of weight that is gained.
- Sleep delivers sufficient rest and healing to the brain and body.
- In the absence of a quality sleep, a sharp rise in the amount of cortisol is seen in the body.
- Cortisol is also called a stress hormone. It is responsible for storing energy in the body and makes use of this energy as a fuel when a person is awake. Increased levels of cortisol may affect one’s body’s capacity to process fat and in its place send it as a signal to store it.
- Less sleep hours may also influence one’s body’s capacity to process insulin. Consequently, it might cause increased insulin resistance and in turn raise blood glucose levels.
- Also, insulin resistance has an effect on your body’s capability to burn fat giving rise to weight gain.
If your sleep patterns are disturbed at night and you wish to improve them to reach your weight loss goals, below are some tips that may help:
- Do not eat heavy meals in dinnertime and have some lighter meals like salads, warm soups, dal chawal, roti dal, grilled veggies, or meats, etc. Keep away from foods that may lead to gas or acidity, like food items rich in oil or fat content, as this may lead to sleep issues.
- Try not having any caffeinated beverages in the evening or at night.
- Make use of dim lights in the bedroom.
- Maintain a regular bedtime timetable and try to sleep and get up at the same time each night, do not forget the weekends.
- Cut down your screen time at least 60 minutes prior to going to bed.
- Make sure your bedroom is a relaxing space for you. If there is a work desk in your bedroom, try shifting it to another room.
- Avoid getting stressed if you don’t doze off instantly. Give yourself some time to relax.
- Try and adopt some healthy bedtime habits, like going for a warm bath, wearing comfy sleepwear, or anything else that would assist in creating a comfy setting for sleep.
Conclusion
Getting sufficient high-quality sleep remains a critical parameter for weight management. Poor sleep habits may disturb a person’s metabolism, causing an increased appetite and reduced energy expenditure. Instead, good sleep habits help you stay on track. So, if you are looking forward to your weight loss goals or maintaining a healthy weight, make sleep your priority. And if you require help in getting started, discuss with the concerned healthcare provider about a Weight Management Program that may involve sleep education and all the related guidance!