Sleep More to Weigh Less

The fact is that most of us are not getting enough sleep.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 35.2 % of all adults in America are not getting the recommended minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night. 

And according to the National Sleep Foundation, adults between ages 18-64 need between 7-9 hours of sleep every night. They also recommend not going below 6 hours or over 10 hours.

There is a U-shaped curve for optimal sleep and you are at a higher risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other medical complications if you typically get less than 6 or greater than 10 hours of sleep.

While everyone’s individual needs are slightly different, the consensus right now is that we need that average of 7-9 hours per night for optimal health. After all, studies are showing that how much sleep we get can actually affect our cognitive, mental, and physical health.

Below are ten tips for better sleep and how good sleep impacts our weight.

How does sleep affect our weight?

If you are already rocking the sleep department, great work! If you are falling short, did you know that decreased sleep is associated with weight gain? The less you sleep the higher likelihood you have of becoming obese.

One study found that those who slept less than 7 hours a night had a 6% higher probability of obesity versus those who slept 7-8 hours.

And this study showed that for every additional one hour of sleep you get, you decrease your likelihood of obesity by 30%!!!  

Another study found that there was an inverse relationship between sleep and waist circumference, meaning that the more sleep you get, the smaller your waistline, especially as you age.

So what’s the reasoning behind these findings?

While more research is needed, one potential reason is that decreased sleep negatively affects our homeostatic feeding center, causing changes to the production of our hormones ghrelin and leptin.

When the amount of sleep is reduced, ghrelin, otherwise known as the hunger hormone, increases. And to add insult to injury, leptin, known as our satisfaction/satiety hormone, decreases. That means that we FEEL hungrier and get satisfied SLOWER.

Another possible reason is that not getting enough sleep typically leads to making less than ideal food choices the next day.

One study found that decreased sleep led to an increase in calorie-dense foods, especially calories from carbohydrate-rich foods. Have you ever experienced the munchies for sweets and snacks after not getting enough sleep?

Additionally, when you continually don’t get enough sleep, it’s common to feel more tired and have less energy for exercise. Not being fully rested can also reduce your motivation for engaging in other healthy habits, like cooking at home.

Finally, decreased sleep also reduces your body temperature, which means that a poor night of sleep can slow down your resting metabolic rate. 

So how do you get better sleep?

Practicing good sleep hygiene is essential for getting great sleep.

The word “hygiene” is another way of saying habits. With oral hygiene, you brush, floss, and make regular trips to your dentist. This becomes a habit with repeated practice and keeps your mouth healthy.

Sleep is the same thing. You practice good sleep routines until they become habits.

Here are Ten Tips for Better Sleep:

1. Keep a consistent sleep schedule. This may not be easy in a lot of situations, but it’s important to do what you can. Aim to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same times each day — including the weekends.
2. Increase physical activity, but not right before bedtime. Adding more movement to your day can help you to be tired for bedtime. However, doing strenuous exercise too close to bedtime may make you more alert.
3. Avoid large meals before bedtime. If you’ve ever tried to lie down right after eating a large meal, chances are it was a bit uncomfortable. To give your body enough time to start digesting your meal, it’s recommended to stop eating 1-2 hours before bedtime, maybe even longer, for bigger meals that take longer to digest.
4. Stop caffeinating by late afternoon. If you’re sensitive to the effects of caffeine, you may need to stop by late morning. The FDA recommends limiting caffeine intake to under 400 mg per day. Having less caffeine may also help you to feel sleepier at bedtime. 
5. Stop alcohol intake before bedtime. Although it may make you feel sleepy and help you to fall asleep, alcohol decreases the quality of your sleep. Studies have shown that drinking alcohol before bed increases wakefulness during the second half of your sleep and allow your body to function naturally.
6. Up your sleep routine game! Try practicing meditation, journaling, and self-care before bed. Establishing a great bedtime routine, and practicing this nightly, can help signal to your brain and body that it’s time to start winding down for sleep.
7. Make your bedroom your sleeping place. Try to avoid doing work or watching TV in bed. Instead, your bedroom should be a cool, dark, comfortable, and quiet place reserved for sleep and relaxation. Generally speaking, we sleep better at a cool temperature without any lights. If you can’t block out noise from the rest of the house, or find the silence not to be relaxing, try turning on a fan or using a white noise machine.
8. Remove blue light and devices from your room. Sleep with your phone and TV in a different place. Stop watching devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
9. Do relaxing things during bedtime and wait to be sleepy before going to sleep. Trying to sleep before feeling sleepy can extend your time to fall asleep.
10. If you do not fall asleep with 20 minutes of trying, get up, and do something else. This advice seems counterintuitive, but doing something calming for a while can help to get you back to sleep faster.

The Bottom Line

Just as exercising and eating well are important for your weight and health, so is getting adequate sleep.

Research has shown that there are many benefits for our mental and physical health when we get enough sleep.

Especially if you’re trying to lose weight, the better you sleep, the better your body can regulate hormones that help regulate your appetite during the day.

Aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night and practice good sleep hygiene. Tracking your sleep in the premium version of the Lose-It app can help you to stay on track!

What are your favorite tips for better sleep?