Sleep
It is recommended that adults get seven-eight hours of sleep every night. It is not just about the quantity though – quality matters as well. We need to go through all the stages of sleep in order to reap all the benefits of this restorative process (deep sleep, light sleep, REM sleep). But that can sometimes be hard! Why should we even try to get a good night’s sleep?
We don’t sleep only to not feel tired; it is an important time when the body rests and resets, recovers from exercise or illness, and it’s when long-term memory is formed. Lack of sleep can have detrimental effects on many aspects of our life – and even weight loss!
The effects of lack of sleep
Sleep and mood – not getting enough sleep can make us feel very irritable and make our patience quite thin. Imagine chronic sleep deprivation – that could very much impact our wellbeing and can contribute to depression or anxiety.
Sleep and concentration - lack of sleep may cause us not being able to focus and think clearly. That can increase the likelihood of injuries or even accidents. And surely doesn’t help if we need to focus on work or studies!
Sleep and diseases – getting enough sleep can keep our hormones in check and is important if we want to lower our risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or high blood pressure.
Sleep and the immune system – lack of sleep can hinder the efforts of our immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses. Good to keep in mind especially in the flu season!
Sleep and fertility – chronic sleep deprivation can impair fertility by reducing the secretion of reproductive hormones.
Sleep and weight loss
When thinking about weight loss, sleep might not be the thing that pops into your head. But it actually plays quite a big role! Like we said before, sleep is needed for all sorts of reasons, one of them being restoration of the body and mind, including relieving stress. And the process of losing weight is a stress on the body (and often our mind as well) – we are basically depriving it of energy. When the body is under too much stress for too long, it doesn’t work as well as it should, and that can impact on our weight loss attempts. There are several reasons why not getting enough of quality sleep can hinder our progress:
Tiredness – when we’re tired, we’re less likely to exercise or move around. Going to the gym or an exercise class might be the last thing on our minds when we’re tired. Subconsciously, we’re likely to decrease our non-exercise activity throughout the day as well. That means we’re probably going to expend less energy than we would have if we got enough sleep, meaning it will be harder to reach a negative energy balance and lose weight.
Poorer food choices – when we’re sleep deprived and tired, we are more likely to crave all the high-calorie, high-sugar, high-fat foods, because those represent a quick and easy energy for our deprived body. But that doesn’t really align with fat-loss goals!
Changes in hormones – this happens on a subconscious level. Sleep deprivation will trigger the release of stress and hunger hormones, and the response of satiety hormones won’t be as great. And if we feel hungrier and our regular portions don’t satisfy us as much, we’re likely to eat more. If you couple this with the decreased physical activity, that is a double-edged sword.
Your metabolism isn’t as effective – which can mean the body is more likely to store the energy you give it and won’t be as efficient at burning it.
You won’t recover from your exercise sessions as well – if we want to build muscle or our physical fitness, the body needs sleep and rest to do its magic – it’s just as important as the exercise itself. Putting too much strain on the body without giving it a chance to recover will result in poor exercise adaptations (meaning the body won’t build muscle as effectively or won’t improve your cardio fitness as effectively) and can make you more prone to injuries.
Practices for better sleep
We now know how important sleep is and why - but getting zzz’s might not be as easy for some people. Sleep and sleep hygiene are highly individual and what might work for one might not work for another. We have a few tips for you to try if you struggle with sleep.
Keep regular bed and waking times – going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every morning will help your body know when it’s time to sleep and you might find it easier to fall asleep and to make sure you are getting enough hours.
Adjust your bedroom – get some blackout curtains, set the right temperature (you might find that sleeping in a colder – not too cold though! – room can improve your sleep quality) and get a soft light rather than a bright one to help the sleep hormones release. It’s also a good idea not to have screens in your bedroom – they emit something called blue light, which can disturb the release of those sleep hormones.
Wind down before going to bed – try to stick to calming activities an hour prior going to bed – that could be reading, having a hot bath or something similar that you find relaxing. Try to avoid screens with blue light though.
Do some exercise but not too close to bedtime – being active and doing regular exercise helps with sleep. However, try to avoid doing intense exercise too close to bedtime, as your body might need more time to wind down before it lets you go to sleep.
Don’t go to bed hungry – trying to fall asleep with a rumbling stomach might be very hard to begin with, but it might wake you up too early in the morning too. When we sleep, our blood sugar levels naturally drop (as we are fasting), but if they drop too low, it might wake you up as a signal from your body that it needs some energy. Having a light snack before bed (especially if you eat dinner early) might help prevent that. That’s not to say you should have a massive meal right before going to sleep – that might not be great for your sleep either.
Meditate or do some deep breathing – this might not be for everyone, but if you’d like to give it a go, it might help relax you or send you to sleep. You can find a whole host of guided meditations or breathing exercises online.
Don’t stay in bed if you can’t sleep – there’s nothing worse than tossing and turning in bed, desperately trying to sleep but not being able to. The longer it goes on, the more frustrating it gets, which makes it even harder to sleep. If you can’t sleep, don’t stay in bed – get up, go read a book, have a cuppa or do anything else you find relaxing. When you start feeling tired and sleepy, give it another go.
Try herbal teas – some herbs like chamomile, lemon balm or lavender can help you relax and sleep. Plus having a nice cup of herbal tea, while maybe reading a nice book can be a nice relaxing ritual before bed.
Remember, sleep is very individual, and you might find other things that work for you.