Sleep and weight management: everything you need to know

January has seen many of us trying to improve our health, and sleep is an essential factor

January marks a time when thousands of people put more effort into improving and protecting their health and wellbeing. For many, this includes effective weight management.

We all know that diet and exercise are essential when it comes to achieving a healthy weight, but sleep is an equally important yet often overlooked component in the equation too. Prioritising better sleep can improve your chances of successful weight management long beyond January. Here’s how.

Sleep and motivation

Anyone who has struggled with their weight knows that effective weight management requires a great deal of willpower, and that’s exactly what sleep deprivation takes from you. Missing out on sleep makes you more likely to give into temptation and make bad decisions, because your brain’s frontal lobe activity (the hub of decision making and impulse control) is dulled.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who were starved of sleep were more likely to indulge in late-night snacking, while a University of Chicago study found that sleep deprived citizens consumed twice as much fat. Add to this the lack of energy needed for effective exercise and you have a recipe for weight gain.

Sleep and metabolism

As well as impacting your mental state, sleeplessness can also inhibit your body’s physical processes, including your metabolism. Sleep is like nutrition for your brain, helping your body act as necessary to keep you healthy.

When you fail to get the 7 to 9 hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation, your brain suffers the consequences. Sleeplessness triggers a cortisol spike in the brain that signals your body to conserve energy to fuel you through the day. In other words, you’re more likely to retain fat. Your ability to process insulin is impacted, making it harder to change sugar and starches into energy.

US sleep researchers say sleep deprivation makes you “metabolically groggy”, finding that dieters who cut back on sleep for 14 days lost 55% less fat, despite consuming the same number of calories. Making time in your routine for high quality sleep is essential when it comes to meeting your weight management goals.

Improving your sleep

If your new year’s resolution was to reach a healthier weight, you should also be prioritising better sleep. There are several steps you can take to achieve this.

Firstly, create a bedtime ritual you can stick to. Waking up and going to bed at roughly the same time every day – even on weekends – will help your body learn when it’s time to wind down. You should also create an evening routine to help encourage the winding down process, avoiding screens for the hour before bed in favour of reading, meditation, stretches or a warm bath.

Keep your bedroom cool and dark, and think of it as a space that’s reserved purely for sleep and sex. It’s a space for relaxation and release rather than work or entertainment.

Food and sleep are a two-way street. Just as sleeping better can help you eat healthier, the right food will make sleep more accessible. Avoiding eating heavy meals or drinking alcohol or caffeine close to bedtime.

By making time for better sleep in 2023, you can give yourself the best chance of sticking to your weight management goals.

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