There are a wide array of factors that contribute to the body’s ability to lose weight, and while diet and exercise are the most frequently discussed, sleep is also essential for improving your overall health and seeing the most significant results. In order to see changes on the scale your body needs to be adequately nourished and cared for, and sleep is one of the most important and easiest factors to adjust to bolster your well being.
If you frequently skimp on sleep in favor of late night TV binges and are wondering why your body hasn’t been reflecting any healthy changes you may have been making within your lifestyle, registered dietitian Zoë Schroeder is here to explain why, and how much sleep you really need to be getting each night.
Sleep is the time in which your body can recover from the activities of the day and your muscles will properly rest after exercise, leading to strength gains and injury avoidance. When you cut down on the amount of sleep you get each night, your body has less time to rebuild, leading to exhaustion and decreased efficiency in general function moving forward.
“Without adequate sleep you are unable to generate hormones, re-generate brain cells, or really carry out any metabolic process including fat metabolism,” explains Schroeder. “So, without enough sleep your body has to take shortcuts and will be unable to metabolize your fat which means your weight loss is definitely going to be affected.”
Missing out on sleep also has the potential to impact the hormones within your body, in particular the ones that are in control of hunger cues. “Lack of sleep messes with your hormones, specifically ghrelin and leptin which are your hunger and satiety hormones. Basically your body produces more ghrelin which tells it that it's hungrier and makes you crave more food,” notes Schroeder.
Unfortunately, with increased hunger typically comes a disregard for filling your body with healthy foods, and you will become more inclined to reach for higher calorie, less nutritious items when hunger from sleeplessness strikes.
So, how much sleep should you really be getting to benefit your body the most? Schroeder suggests that most adults should try for between seven and nine hours each night to help improve your chances of healthy weight loss while generally bolstering your overall well being.
“If you struggle with getting adequate sleep, try working on your sleep hygiene and bedtime routine to improve the quality of your sleep,” she says. This can look like turning off your devices an hour before heading off to bed, making sure to keep electronics out of your bed, and setting your room with mood lighting that is less harsh on the eyes.
Prioritizing enough sleep each night will help to improve your metabolism, provide your body with more energy to thrive throughout the day, and allow you to see the benefits of your healthy diet and exercise plan. In order to experience the best results, all of the pieces of your wellness routine must fit into place and outside of healthy eating and regular movement, consistent good nights of sleep are arguably the most important.
