When you step on the scale, are you happy with the number you see? If not, consider looking at more than just your diet and exercise routine. The number of Z’s you’re getting each night may be the real culprit. Knowing how sleep affects weight loss is essential if you’re on a health kick.
Lack of Sleep Leads to Poor Choices
When you don’t sleep well, you wake tired. And tired brains aren’t smart-thinking brains. Poor choices could lead to long-lasting repercussions, such as weight gain.
- You push the snooze button instead of making it to that early-morning workout.
- Since you’re running late, you grab a high-calorie coffee drink and donut on the way to work.
- Starving by lunchtime, you hit the drive-through for a dollar meal.
- On the way home, takeout seems much better than cooking.
- After dinner, you sit on the couch watching TV instead of walking the dog.
With continued sleepiness, this pattern may repeat day after day.
A recent study showed that people who don’t get enough sleep habitually eat 500 or more calories daily. Since it takes 3,500 calories to make one pound of fat, someone eating an additional 500 calories a day will gain, on average, one pound a week. All from lack of sleep.
Sufficient Sleep Balances Hormones
Hormones are the powerhouses that run nearly all of the functions in the human body. The hormones associated most with hunger and fullness are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin tells your body that it’s time to eat, which would be good, except that your body creates more ghrelin when it’s tired. Leptin lets your body know when it’s complete, but when you’re sleepy, those levels drop, and you don’t stop eating.
But wait, there’s more.
When you’re sleep-deprived, your cortisol levels increase, putting your body into survival mode. That means it will hang on to that extra fat if no more food comes.
The body’s ability to process insulin, a hormone that transforms food into energy, decreases as sleep decreases. And if insulin isn’t working correctly, fat stays in the bloodstream instead of fueling your body and getting burned off.
It’s basic science that if a body does not get enough sleep, it will get too much fat. This is just another way sleep affects weight loss.
How Much Sleep Is Enough?
While every person is different, most adults need 7–9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is best when it occurs in a regular pattern. Unfortunately, most of us vary our sleep habits, either nightly or from weekdays to weekends, which could lead to weight gain.
The Endocrine Society of America says 30 minutes less than your regular Z’s can take its toll. Of course, it doesn’t happen over just one late night, but most of us don’t have just one less-than-adequate sleep. The damage can start with as little as four days of irregular sleep patterns.
Reverse Your Poor Sleep Cycle
Thankfully, it’s possible to change things up and enjoy the sleep you need to be energetic during the day while aligning those hormones for proper functioning. It’s all about getting more sleep regularly.
It’s best to work backward when it comes to your sleep habits. Think about what time you need to get up and then go to bed at least 7.5 hours before. Make this a nightly ritual, and don’t plan to stay up later on weekends. Once your body is used to its new schedule, you’ll be sleepy at the right time, so you can wake regularly, probably without an alarm clock.
Remember to prioritize your sleep. Lack of sleep affects weight loss, but that’s just one reason sleep is so important. It’s the time your body recharges, and you need that if you’re going to be successful each day.
Get Help on Your Journey with CoolSculpting
If you’ve been fighting to lose weight for what seems like forever, you now know it could have something to do with your sleep patterns. But that doesn’t instantly make you lose weight. If you need some help you melt that fat as you get back on an intelligent sleep pattern, CoolSculpting can help.
Bodify is Phoenix’s premier CoolSculpting boutique. We treat both men and women with our noninvasive fat-freezing technique. In less than an hour, you can relax in our spa-like environment while one of our friendly technicians applies the patented applicators. The deep freeze starts to kill off excess fat cells soon released from your body. You’re left closer to your goal and feeling and looking better.
Are you trying to lose weight by cutting down on junk food and exercising every day—yet still not getting the results you want? The solution might be as simple as what you’re doing for 7–9 hours each day. That’s right, a good night’s sleep could be the key to a healthy and fitter you.
A study by Columbia University found that people who sleep less than six hours a night tend to be on the heavier side; they gain weight easier and also have trouble losing it. Along with crankiness and lack of focus, sleep deprivation results in weight gain.
Here are some reasons you should hit the sack and put an end to those late nights for a healthier version of yourself:
Sleep Boosts Weight Loss
Even though you may be eating healthy and exercising regularly, lack of sleep may hamper your weight-loss efforts. Another study conducted by the University of Chicago found that individuals who sleep seven hours a night tend to drop more weight than those who get only five hours, even though both may be consuming the same amount of calories. This is because when you don’t get enough sleep, your body’s ability to process insulin—the hormone that changes sugar and starch into energy—becomes weak. When your body’s reaction to insulin is not normal, you tend to store fat instead of processing it from your bloodstream. Therefore, your metabolism is weakened.
Lack of Sleep Makes You Crave Unhealthy Foods
Researchers have found that when you don’t get enough sleep, your cortisol levels rise. Cortisol is a stress hormone that activates the reward centers of your brain, making you crave certain foods, especially those high in sugar and fat. Lack of sleep may also leave you feeling unsatisfied, even after a hearty meal. You are left hungry and looking to snack, regardless of the foods’ health benefits.
Lack of sleep also results in lack of clarity. You may make impulsive decisions, such as eating that tub of ice cream when you shouldn’t. You may have troubles fighting your urges and may also consume bigger portions than usual.
Sleep Improves the Effects of Exercise
There’s no doubt that a good night’s sleep leaves you feeling fresher and more energetic. This means that not only are you able to exercise better and more rigorously, but you are also able to burn calories faster. Researchers have found that those who sleep well at night have a higher metabolism, which means they burn calories long after their workout routines have ended.
Get the Sleep You Need
It’s time to stop letting sleep deprivation get in the way of you reaching your goal weight. Sleep is as important to your fitness routine as diet and exercise, and when it comes to sleep,quality is just as important as quantity.
To get a handle on your quality of sleep, follow these suggestions:
- Make your bedroom a device-free zone. Switch off your phone, laptop, tablet, and television an hour before you hit the sack.
- Decorate your room in a way that is relaxing. Use sleep-inducing colors such as blue and grey.
- Watch what you eat before you head to sleep. Try to leave at least two hours between dinner and bedtime. Avoid sugar, coffee, soda, and any other foods that may cause heartburn and discomfort.
- Reduce the amount of light in your bedroom. Darkness makes you sleepy and helps your brain release the sleep hormone melatonin.
- Take a warm bath, read a book,or meditate to feel relaxed and calm.
- Try to sleep at the same time every day. This will help set your body clock and allow you to fall asleep easier.
- Avoid taking naps during the day.
- Reduce the amount of noise around you at bedtime.
Good Sleep + CoolSculpting = A Winning Combination
There are many factors in play to create your ideal image, including diet, exercise, and sleep. While all of those things are working together in harmony, one addition could make them work faster and even more effectively: CoolSculpting.
This patented, non-invasive treatment painlessly eliminates your excess fat cells by freezing them. Give us an hour, and our Bodify technicians will get you on your way. During the next couple of months, the frozen fat will be naturally flushed from your body, leaving you with fewer inches and looser-fitting clothes.
Take a look at our before-and-after photos to see what we’ve done for other clients—and can do for you. As a bonus, we’ll even let you catch a few Z’s while you’re getting your treatment. What could be better than that?
Contact Bodify Today
If you’re ready to start your transformative CoolSculpting journey and experience the unmatched benefits of Bodify, we encourage you to take the next step today. Schedule a complimentary consultation with our expert team, and let us know why we’re the leading choice for CoolSculpting in Arizona. Whether you’re targeting stubborn belly fat, love handles, or other trouble areas, we’re here to create a treatment plan uniquely tailored to your goals and needs. Don’t wait any longer to unlock the body of your dreams – contact us now and discover the Bodify difference! Your journey to a slimmer, more confident you start here.
About Bodify CoolSculpting Spa
It’s a big deal when you decide to have CoolSculpting and permanently remove unwanted fat. Other medical spas in Arizona offer CoolSculpting and various other services. While a full-service clinic may seem logical, Bodify is adamant that focusing on ONE technology will give you the best results. You’ll be happy to know our CoolSculpting certified team has performed nearly 40,000 treatments for both men and women, and that number keeps growing. Day in and day out, CoolSculpting is all we do, and to say we know it like the back of our hand is an understatement. Each member of the Bodify team has personally undergone CoolSculpting. For some of us… more times than we care to admit!
Every member of the Bodify team has sat on the other side of the table. We understand the intimidation that accompanies bearing your body. We know the fear of admitting the struggle of not seeing the changes you want through diet and exercise alone. We also understand the uncertainty of undergoing a new procedure. Our reputation among Allergan and other CoolSculpting providers is humbling and exciting. Hundreds of other CoolSculpting providers approached us and asked if we could teach them what we know so they could get their clients exceptional results and deliver a better client experience. We now host monthly training courses through our Bodify Academy. We have 3 Locations to serve you: Bodify Phoenix CoolSculpting, Bodify Gilbert CoolSulpting & Bodify Scottsdale CoolSculpting.
