For years I've tried to force myself to bed earlier, but with the busy lifestyle and lack of family time available, I tend to always fall back on the old habit of staying up later than I should just to squeeze in a few more minutes with family and friends all at the expense of my health. Burning the candle at both ends and using work and responsibility as my excuse to reboot with sugary snacks and caffeine only served to exacerbate the problems with excessive weight gain and continual exhaustion. So what exactly are the benefits of getting enough sleep and how can we use that to our advantage when it comes to our weight loss goals?
A good night's sleep means a stronger ego with greater powers of concentration and self-control. These are exactly the traits needed to follow through on any kind of behavioral change. Any self-improvement goal will be much easier to achieve if we get a good night's rest. Trying to lose weight while cheating on sleep is nearly impossible because starting your day already energy deficient only leads you to compensate your lack of energy with food cravings in the absence of hunger. We mistake it for hunger, but what's really happening is you're not hungry, your tired.
Two recent studies published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the caloric intake of participants after 8 hour and 5.5 hour sleeps. Both studies found that after reduced sleep the participants consumed a significantly higher caloric amount (almost 500 more in men). The worst part was that they were mostly snacks and carbohydrates. An additional study by Stanford University showed that people who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night have a significantly higher Body Mass Index than those who slept 8 or more hours per night. Additionally, the study found that sleeping less than 7.7 hours per night caused a hormonal imbalance that led to increased appetite and reduced satisfaction. Yikes, that's a pretty lethal combination for anyone wishing to decrease their weight.
So what are some things we can do to help us get more sleep?
1. Plan Ahead. One of the biggest things that I was able to change was my nightly routine. I noticed that falling asleep on the couch had a huge effect on my sleep levels because it was easier than facing the daunting tasks I needed to do prior to going to bed. Once I got up off the couch and finalized everything that needed to be done like brushing my teeth, cleaning the last bit of supper from the kitchen and getting the dogs settled I was wide awake again and struggle getting to sleep when my head actually hit the pillow. By preparing all of those things in advance and getting things done prior to sitting down for my nightly glass of wine and TV time I was able to be more disciplined in getting up and going straight to bed when I began to feel drowsy.
2. Know the difference between hunger and fatigue. Often times I would feel myself craving a nightly snack loaded with sugary carbs. After I became aware of this I was able to measure based on the absence of hunger pangs that my cravings were based more on wanting something to give my body energy to stay awake rather than true hunger. By choosing to turn off the lights and go to sleep instead of eating to stay awake I was able to significantly increase my sleep time by almost and hour and a half per night and reduce my caloric intake a great deal. This added up to a huge amount of extra sleep over the week and savings on weekly calories.
3. Think ahead for the next day. Often times I caught myself having to wake up extra early to get prepared for my day. By choosing to prepare my clothes for the next day, preparing lunches and other items needed in advance, I was able to give myself some additional sleep time in the mornings and an additional advantage was that my mornings were much less stressful which led to better moods and a more productive feeling of accomplishment. Being empowered by these benefits gave me a better ability to face the temptations throughout the day when it came to food choices.
Sleep is so undervalued in our workaholic culture, but it can be a true secret weapon for those of us who appreciate it's advantages. Sleep is the the main ingredient to productive waking hours and it is obviously one of the most important parts of any weight loss program. I mean who wakes up rested and breaks a resolution? No one. It's only when we get tired and our defenses are low that we tend to lose our willpower over temptations so remember to rest up because life is waiting.
Until next time, keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve.
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