Did you know that good sleep hygiene is good for your weight loss journey? Yes, your sleep is really important, and if you are not getting good quality sleep, it may affect your progress. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an adult needs about 7 or more hours of sleep every night for their body to function properly. Poor sleep hygiene may be caused by habits such as going to bed late, having and using electronics just before sleep, noisy environment, and others that may disrupt sleep. Studies have shown that short-duration sleep is associated with obesity and overweight. You may be wondering, what does sleep have to do with my body weight? Below are some of the ways that poor sleep may affect your weight loss and management journey.
1. Poor sleep affects your body’s physiology
When you stay late or have disrupted sleep, your body’s normal biological functions are also disrupted, which may result in an imbalance of hormones that may promote weight gain. Research has shown that sleep deprivation may cause hormonal imbalances which disturb your appetite-regulating hormones. This may affect your appetite and lead to increased food intake or poor energy use by your body. Also, your body’s response to insulin may be affected, resulting in poor glucose tolerance. It may then increase your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
2. When you stay up late, you tend to snack often.
You may have some experience with this when binge-watching your favorite Netflix show and feeling like you need to eat something. You end up eating more than you would eat if you had slept earlier. The longer you stay awake, the longer you will need to eat. Going to bed earlier is a good strategy to avoid unnecessary eating. A survey conducted by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that those who reported short-duration sleep (less than 6 hours) tended to eat earlier and later than those with average sleep. Also, participants reported getting most of their energy from snacks and tended to consume most sugar and caffeine. This goes to show that sleeping less may lead to irregular eating habits, which may affect your weight management.
3. Poor sleep leads to fatigue and an inability to stay active.
When you only get a few hours of sleep, you are likely to feel tired the next day. You may end up feeling off with low energy, and the motivation to stay active is very little or not present at all. On those mornings when you wake up feeling well-rested and energetic, you are more likely to stay active throughout the day, engage in your exercise routines, or be active in general.
4. Your body is stressed when sleep is not enough
When you do not get enough sleep, your body becomes stressed. Stress hormones will be released, affecting your body’s energy requirement and processing. According to research, inadequate sleep will cause your body to release cortisol, a stress hormone. This will trick your body into perceiving that it is in danger and may lead your body to fend for itself, which is not generally good for you.
In conclusion, you want to make sure that getting enough sleep is high in your priorities if you want your weight loss strategies to work. Organize your day in such a way that you will be able to get enough quality sleep every night.