The link between sleep and weight loss – everything you must know!

In the current age, sleep has become one of the things that adults neglect the most – but if you are someone who wants to lose some weight, lack of sleep is not something you can afford. And yes, there is a true connection between how much you sleep and weight loss. 

You might have the best diet and work out regularly as you should, but you still are not losing weight as you wanted. And one of the factors behind this might be that you don’t sleep enough. 

In this article, let’s explore the connection between your lack of sleep and weight loss. It can be one of many reasons why you haven’t been able to lose weight as per your goals.

How much sleep do we need?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aim for 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night. Yes, those precious hours aren’t just for dreaming of winning the lottery; they’re crucial for mental clarity, productivity, and keeping those pesky dark circles at bay.

Why is sleep so important, you ask? While you’re snoozing away, your body is busy throwing a mini repair party, regenerating cells, consolidating memories, and even regulating hormones. Skimp on sleep, and you might find yourself yawning through meetings or nodding off during a Netflix binge.

However, we understand that life can be unpredictable. Whether it’s burning the midnight oil for work or succumbing to the allure of one more episode, sometimes sleep takes a backseat. Just remember, those extra Z’s can be the difference between feeling on top of the world and feeling like you’ve been run over by said world.

In short, prioritise your sleep. Your body (and everyone who has to deal with you) will thank you for it!

Lack of sleep makes you binge eat 

You might have often found yourself in the kitchen, looking for unhealthy snacks and sweets just because you cannot fall asleep. An increase in appetite is one of many results of you are not sleeping moderately. 

The overproduction of the hormone ghrelin is one of the many reasons why you will experience symptoms like being hungrier, eating bigger portion choices, more food cravings and unhealthy food consumption, etc.

These unhealthy eating habits and patterns eventually make it easier for you to gain weight and have less energy to work or pamper yourself.

Lack of sleep won’t let you make healthy choices

When you don’t get enough rest, it can become a little more difficult to make healthy choices in your daily routine. Decision-making is much harder to do when your brain is fighting the urge to fall asleep. This is why sleep and weight loss are so linked.

When you are tired, you might feel the need to eat a ton of junk food to distract yourself from the thought of sleeping more. This is one of the most common ways to understand the link between sleep and weight loss. Self-control to avoid food temptations is harder to execute when you haven’t slept well.  Sleep and weight loss are so linked.

Late-night food sessions can be lessened if you sleep earlier

Many people complain that they tend to eat a lot of junk, especially in the middle of the night. But if you can get yourself to sleep early, then you won’t struggle with these late-night temptations. 

When you are accustomed to sleeping late at night, you will need to avoid junk food for a long time. Sleep and weight loss is then harder! Especially if you have dinner early, you will struggle not to binge while watching your favourite shows at night. Research shows that people who fall asleep on time are less likely to gain weight due to these longer, late-night binge sessions. 

Sleeping well enables you to do more physical activities each day

If you are always tired due to a lack of sleep, you will find it impossible to step out of the house or engage in physical activities like walking or working out. That can ultimately make it harder for you to maintain your weight in the long run.

When you sleep for 7-8 hours each day, you have more energy the next day to be physically active in any way you want. That way, you can also burn more calories and get more things done around the house. This way, you don’t have to struggle with working out consistently, which is a key factor in successfully losing weight as you want. With sleep and weight loss, you just have to work out how to make sure you get a proper sleep.

Conclusion

The link between sleep and weight loss is not as invisible as you believe it is. In this article, we talked about some ways in which these two things are directly related to each other. 

We hope that you can now understand the importance of getting enough sleep and allowing your body to recover the energy it lost during the day. And you can now find ways to sleep well, allowing you to achieve your weight loss goals successfully as well.

Other articles you may find helpful for sleep and weight loss

How to choose the best mattress for a good night’s sleep

5 tips for successful weight loss

How to build a healthy relationship with caffeine and coffee

4 strategies to help you declutter your mind for a better night’s sleep

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