How much sleep you get can be just as important to achieving your weight loss goals as how much you eat. When you’re dealing with a lack of sleep, your body triggers a cascade of reactions that can interfere with everything you do to help you lose weight when you’re awake.
We’ll explain how in a moment, but let’s start with this fact. About 35 percent of US adults don’t get the recommended minimum of seven hours of sleep each night, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). )
Stress is a common cause of sleep loss, but lifestyle habits such as watching TV or scrolling through social media in bed, eating late at night, and having inconsistent bedtimes and wake-up times are also linked to reduced sleep time. The more you can do to get seven or more hours of consistent sleep a night, the better your chances of weight loss success.
Here are five ways that lack of sleep is slowing down your weight loss:
1. Your hunger is growing.
When you’re constantly tired, your body’s levels of ghrelin and leptin, two appetite-regulating hormones, change, causing you to feel hungry even when you’ve had enough to eat. “These differences in leptin and ghrelin are likely to increase appetite,” said the study, which was published in PLoS Medicine.
2. You are more likely to choose fattening foods.
Sleep-deprived people are more likely to eat high-carb snacks, according to a study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. People who got less than the recommended seven hours of sleep each night “ate more calories and fat in snacks — about 1,000 calories and twice as much fat — in the early evening compared to just 600 calories when they got a full night’s sleep.” at the University of Chicago.
3. Your body burns less fat.
Even as your body burns excess calories, lack of sleep changes the types of calories you burn. The researchers who reported their findings Annals of Internal Medicinefound that people who didn’t get enough sleep burned 55 percent less fat, while their caloric intake and overall diet remained the same.
4. You exercise less.
Although no studies have proven this definitively, common sense and practical experience suggest that when you’re dealing with a lack of sleep, you have less energy to get through your day. Also, you feel too tired to do the daily exercise needed to burn calories. Physical activity like walking helps your body burn calories and turn fat into muscle. If you’re too tired to be active, you’re missing out on the valuable weight loss benefits you get from it.
5. Increased risk of obesity and diabetes.
People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to suffer from obesity and type 2 diabetes, report says Journal of Applied Physiology.
What can you do to make sure you get enough shut-eye each night?
The CDC recommends establishing and maintaining a regular sleep schedule as much as you can, even on weekends and holidays. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark and free of distractions. Avoid eating an hour before bedtime. Get some exercise throughout the day, even when you feel tired. Being physically tired will help you sleep more soundly at night.
If you suffer from sleep apnea or any other disorder that prevents you from getting deep sleep, be sure to discuss it with your doctor. And finally, follow yours Nutrisystem weight loss program so you can sleep easy knowing you’re doing everything you can to stay healthy.