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Fitness
Writer's pictureChad Jenkins

How Sleeping Aids with Weight Loss

Updated: Oct 30, 2023

When it comes to weight loss, moderation is the key. Exercising frequently, eating healthy, and sleeping the right amount are all the tools you will need to steadily and carefully lose weight. You may be wondering – is it true that sleeping aids help with weight loss? This article will show you just how crucial a good night’s sleep is when you are trying to lose weight.

a blue plate with the words "weight loss" written on it

This is why sleeping aids with weight loss


A bad sleep schedule has a large, negative impact on our metabolism. It can cause our appetite to increase, making us consume more calories and gain weight. Sleep is crucial to our hormones and, therefore, to our weight. If we don’t gain enough energy through sleep, we will look for it in our food. This means eating snacks more than usual and eating foods that are high in calories. These choices can be very bad for our health and detrimental to our weight loss. A bad sleep regime also means being in a bad mood and becoming depressed, making you unable to exercise and commit to healthy lifestyle choices. As we can see, sleeping the right amount will positively impact your mood, your appetite, and your energy levels.


Does alcohol affect sleep and weight loss?

sleeping aids with weight loss, so it's important to sleep the right amount every night
Sleep is important for our overall health

Drinking alcohol slows down the weight loss process. This is because alcohol is very high in calories. So, even if we follow the correct diet and frequent exercise, drinking alcohol can take several steps back. Another way that alcohol disturbs our weight loss journey is through the disturbance of our sleeping regime. Even though we may fall asleep faster after a few drinks, we will experience troubles throughout the following night. Night sweats can significantly impact your sleep and be very difficult to endure. They are widespread in people who fall asleep after drinking alcohol. Hangovers, a common occurrence the day after drinking, can affect our weight loss journey because we won’t be able to exercise and will most likely consume more calories.


Sleeping can affect the way we exercise


Sleep is essential not just because sleeping aids with weight loss but because it gives us the energy to get through the day. Sleeping too much or too little can keep us unmotivated to reach our goals, one of which is losing weight. If you don’t sleep enough, not only will you feel tired, but you’ll also not be focused on the essential things. This can be especially dangerous when we are exercising. An exercise regime can be cut short if we are feeling tired due to a lack of sleep. Another potentially dangerous situation can be lifting heavy weights without having enough energy. A weight that was relatively easy to pick up on an average day will appear much heavier on a day when you arrived at the gym tired. So before exercising, ensure you have enough energy from sleeping.

exercise equipment on the floor
Exercising without sleeping enough can be dangerous
How to sleep well

The number of hours a person will need for a good night’s sleep will vary depending on age. Young children need much more rest than adults, and as we get older, the number gets lower. One universal thing for all of us is not eating right before falling asleep. Give your body some time to digest the food to sleep better. If you are craving some food, eat something light and healthy. This includes foods such as vegetables, fruits, and other non-processed options. Another good way to improve our sleeping routine is to create a schedule. This doesn’t have to mean organizing every minute of our day. However, it’s best to know at least at what time we want to fall asleep and get up in the morning. Once a sleeping schedule is created, the next thing to do is to stick to it as planned. A comfortable pillow and a high-quality mattress are essential for good sleep. Besides this, sleeping in a dark room or with a blindfold is also an excellent way to improve one’s sleeping schedule. Since sleeping aids with weight loss, it’s best to try to sleep in a quiet environment without interruptions. You can use noise-canceling earplugs or a white noise machine to help you get through the night without having to wake up unexpectedly.


Food has a large effect on our sleep

What we eat can make or break our weight loss goals. Regarding sleep, some of the worst food choices we can produce include foods high in sugar, like sweets, foods full of carbohydrates, overly salty food, and other commonly unhealthy options. Keeping away from these is essential for weight loss, a healthy body, and a healthy mind. If you love a good cocktail, opt for a non-alcoholic version called a mocktail. These will not disturb your sleeping schedule but will still be just as tasty as the real deal. Home-made smoothies and natural juices are delicious choices instead of sodas. Foods with a lot of fiber can be good for our sleep. Remember, not eating for a couple of hours before you fall asleep is very important. Like the sleeping schedule, having a meal plan for every week is crucial to staying fit and healthy. Not only will grocery shopping and cooking be more manageable tasks, but it will also be easier to keep track of what food you eat and how many calories you consume daily.

a woman slicing fruit in her kitchen
Sleeping aids with weight loss just as much as eating healthy does

To conclude


We can see that a good diet and sleeping schedule should go hand in hand. Sleep is vital for many things, not just because sleeping aids with weight loss. Having the proper sleeping schedule and following it is the key to living a happy and healthy life. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, keep in mind that a healthy diet and regular exercise should be accompanied by adequate rest.

Meta: Trying to lose weight can be difficult, but without a good sleeping schedule, it can be even harder to achieve this goal. Find out how sleeping aids with weight loss and why it is detrimental to our health.

Meta: Trying to lose weight can be a difficult task, but without a good sleeping schedule, it can be even harder to achieve this goal. Find out how sleeping aids with weight loss and why it is detrimental to our health.

 

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