Sleep, Metabolism and Weight Loss - Connected?

As the year winds down, I want to leave you with what I feel is a very important aspect of improving your health, and that’s sleep. Can getting more sleep actually help you lose weight? Studies suggest that sleep, metabolism and weight loss are connected! Sleep will help you lose weight, so let’s look at why you should prioritize sleep quality and quantity!

People have been getting less sleep and less sleep over the last few decades. When you look at the data, many people are getting only five to seven hours of sleep each night and fewer still are getting the recommended eight or nine hours of sleep. So how does that affect weight gain and obesity? People who do shift work tend to experience more obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease and it may be due to the disruption in their circadian rhythms.

Circadian Rhythms - Sleep

For shift workers, It’s more than the fact that they’re working late into the night or all night. A clinical study showed that when normal sleep patterns were disrupted, hormones were out of whack. The change in sleep caused glucose and insulin to be much higher. This is important because insulin is the fat-storing hormone and it tells your body to take those calories and turn them into fat and store them. So these people can eat the same foods, same number of calories but when their circadian rhythm gets out of whack, the outcome can be very different. These same shift workers often find their leptin levels are lower. Leptin is the hormone that signals satiety, so you stop eating when you’re full. When this is low, you end up feeling hungrier and continue to eat.

Eating Less, Sleeping More - Metabolism

A recent study took a group of individuals who were sleeping less than 6.5 hours each night, and divided them into two groups. Half the group got a few extra hours of sleep each night, while the other half continued to follow their regular sleep pattern of less than 6.5 hours. The study monitored food intake as well and found that those who slept less ate more than those who slept more. I know for myself, I find that if I don’t sleep well, I end up feeling hungrier the next day and tend to gravitate towards eating something to perk me up.

So, by getting enough sleep, you’re going to be realigning with your natural circadian rhythm. This will adjust your hormones so you’ll have less of a glucose spike, less of the corresponding insulin spike, and consequently, leptin levels might be a little higher which will cause you to eat less. This is all about working with your body instead of against it. Getting enough sleep may have you eating less without even consciously thinking about it.

You’ll also have less opportunity to eat because you’ll be sleeping. This leads us to the benefits of fasting, which is when you’re not eating but your body is still burning calories. Again, you’re working with your body, not against it.

Sleep is just one of the holistic components to better health and is usually the first one I recommend for clients to tackle. If you start there, you may just find it easier to resist the sugary treats in the breakroom since you’ve had a good full night’s sleep. I know I do!

Creating A Bedtime Routine

Creating a bedtime routine is one of the things I implemented when I wanted to work on other areas of my health. You can improve sleep quality by implementing some or all of the suggestions below. Start implementing the ones that feel easy for you and add in others as you feel comfortable.

A bedtime routine, done 30 to 60 minutes before sleep, signals your brain that it’s time for bed. I’ll share my routine at the end.

Set a Consistent Bedtime:

Choose a bedtime and wake-up time that suits your schedule. Stick to the schedule daily to train your brain for a natural tired feeling at bedtime. Do this every day, including weekends.

Limit Electronics:

Avoid screens in the evening as they emit blue light, suppressing melatonin. Also, use blue light blocker glasses starting a few hours before bedtime.

Take a Warm Bath:

Mimic a nighttime drop in body temperature with a warm bath a few hours before sleep.

Listen to Relaxing Music:

Calming music can help shift your focus away from your worries. You might also consider white or pink noise for improved sleep quality.

Stretch, Breathe, and Relax:

Practice deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation techniques to release tension. Daily yoga or simple stretches can enhance sleep quality.

Meditation:

Regular mindfulness meditation improves sleep quality. Focus on peaceful thoughts without judgment, practicing deep breathing and visualization.

Read a Simple Book:

Choose a calming book with a simple plot outside the bedroom.

Write a To-Do List or Journal:

A quick to-do list or journaling can help get those thoughts of what needs to happen the next day out of your head.

Preparing Your Bedroom:

Create a sleep oasis: cool, dark, and quiet. Set the thermostat between 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, dim lights, and use blackout curtains. Remove clutter and enjoy a soothing scent with an aromatherapy diffuser (if you have pets, chose essential oils carefully). Remove the tv from your bedroom as the bedroom is for sleeping and hanky-panky!

Get into Bed:

Make getting into bed the final step, focusing solely on falling asleep. Establishing a consistent routine helps integrate these habits for better sleep quality.

I hope these tips help you improve your sleep quality so you can wake up feeling refreshed, not tired and ending up looking for a sugary pick-me-up.

My Bedtime Routine

I start my routine fairly early, ensuring I eat my last meal at least 3 hours before bed. I want to be in bed by 9:30pm at the latest so I start around 7:00 by taking my magnesium supplement.  If I am going to enjoy a float in the hot tub (and I do most nights!) that happens before 7:30 so I have enough time to cool down. Personally, any later and I feel too hot when going to bed and it affects falling asleep for me.

I have a no alcohol rule 99.9% of the time because even 1 drink has me up after sleeping a few hours. After that, I’m wide awake for the remainder of the night. It’s so not worth it!

I often work on the computer until 8:30ish so I have invested in blue-blocker glasses. I aim to be done working at 8:30 and then do other relaxing tasks as suggested above – these vary day-to-day.

My last few things include doing things to get to bed: I let the dog out, do some stretches, heat a flax bag for my feet in bed, lotion, moisturize my face and hands and then finally hop into bed. This last bit takes about 15 minutes to complete as I don’t rush. I take my time, so I feel relaxed and not rushed.

I’d love to hear what your routine is in the comments!