Why Sleep Could Be The Key To Weight Loss (And How to Improve Your Sleep Hygiene)

You may be underestimating just how important sleep is to hitting your weight loss goals and maintaining a healthy weight.

When my patients begin a health journey, they are usually already aware of what they should be doing: burn more calories than you consume, exercise more, eat more vegetables, stay hydrated, etc. But, very few of them identify getting more and better sleep.

In fact, there are very few of us who are getting adequate sleep, with about one third of adults getting less than seven hours per night. What’s more is that people getting inadequate sleep have also been found to have higher rates of obesity on average.

There are so many reasons sleep is important to your overall health, so let’s go over a few of them.

1. Inadequate sleep can mess with your hormones.

Sleep helps your body to regulate hormone levels, including those responsible for your appetite. Less sleep can lead to increased ghrelin, which activates hunger, and decreased leptin, which lets your body know it’s full.

Lack of sleep will also increase cortisol which is linked to stress and disrupt the hormones linked to insulin regulation.

2. Proper sleep will help you make better decisions.

A good night’s sleep allows your brain to rest and reset, and important cognitive repair happens throughout a night of rest.

A healthy, rested brain will help you to make better decisions throughout the day, and will also help you to have the energy to create nutritious meals instead of calling for takeout.

Good sleep hygiene will also help you to resist those late night munchies. Instead of eating ice cream out of the carton, opt for a cup of herbal tea to help you wind down before the midnight snacks start calling to you.

3. Sleep is a necessary part of your metabolic cycle.

Studies have found that getting enough sleep helps your metabolism. Participants in one study who got five hours of sleep had a lower resting metabolic rate than those who got seven to eight hours.

This means that by sleeping more, your metabolism will work harder, even without exercise or a restrictive diet.

So, now that you know why sleep is important, let’s talk about how you can have better sleep hygiene to sleep more soundly for longer.

Most children dream of a day when they can stay up late and do whatever they want until the wee hours of the morning. What they could never predict is that as we get older, sleep becomes a valuable commodity that most of us would love to protect.

Against all of our ten-year-old desires, the first step to better sleep is to set a bedtime for yourself. Count back eight hours from when you need to wake up for work or school and aim to be asleep by that time.

Now, how do you manage to get to sleep?

Create a bedtime routine and stick to it. Wind down in the same way everyday, with a self care routine, a book, or a cup of tea.

When you stick to this routine, your body will begin to recognize that these actions mean you are preparing to sleep.

I know some readers will roll their eyes, but one of the most important things you can do to get better sleep is to shut off all of your screens. Put your phone across the room, turn off the t.v., and opt for analog entertainment at least one hour before bedtime.

Reading, journaling, or listening to relaxing music are all good ways to fill this time without a screen. The reason for this is that our screens emit blue light, which disrupts our circadian rhythm and prevents our brains from releasing melatonin.

Your sleep routine doesn’t end when you wake up though! Avoid checking your phone or flipping on the news for the first hour after you wake up. Instead, try to let in some natural light through an open window and start your morning routine without scrolling through your feed in the background.

Can you commit to getting better sleep for the sake of your health?

If you suffer from insomnia, you should always consult your doctor for more individualized help to get better sleep.

You can read more about why sleep is so important in my free e-book, which goes straight to your email inbox when you sign up for my newsletter!

You can find more about the studies and facts mentioned in this article here.