Sleep and weight loss

We all know getting a good night sleep is important; it's one of the pillars of optimal health, alongside nutrition, exercise, hydration and stress management. The reason we call them pillars is, of course, because they support your body and prevent things from crashing down, which is exactly what happens when people don’t get enough sleep. Have you ever seen a toddler who hasn’t had enough sleep; crying, shouting, throwing things, you know, having a full-on tantrum. Adults do this as well, but it’s all happening internally. But, beyond keeping us sane, sleep is also hugely important for body composition and supporting weight loss endeavours.

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Sleep deprivation increases appetite

I find that when clients don't get enough sleep, they really struggle to keep within their calories, and I'm the same. If I've not had my seven-plus hours of sleep, I am hungry, really hungry, and I'll eat anything that's not pinned down. Beyond my anecdotal experience, we also see this in research; in one Randomised Controlled Trial, subjects who only had 4 hours sleep ate 22% more food than subjects given 8 hours [1]. This is due to a couple of reasons, the main one being an increase in appetite due to hormonal changes [2], but also, less time in bed means more time awake, more time watching Netflix and going deep into a bag of Doritos — we've all been there. Conversely, more sleep equals less time awake and fewer calories consumed [3].

A lack of sleep reduces physical activity

With sleep deprivation negatively impacting the calories in part of our fat loss equation, it’s not an issue as long as we can keep on top of the calories out part of the equation. Alas, that also takes a hit — sleep deprivation decreases physical activity, and lack of physical activity can result in worsened sleep [4]. We’ve all had it, where we’ve not had a good night sleep and we don’t want to do anything — we don’t want to go for a walk, work, think, socialise in any way, and we especially don’t want to train. This brings me to the final nail in the coffin.

Sleep deprivation can negatively affect athletic performance

That’s right, not only does staying up late to binge-watching The Witcher negatively impact our appetite and our general activity levels, but it’s also impacting our performance.

Inadequate sleep impacts:

• Sprint times

• Reaction time

• Vigour

• Endurance

• Cognitive function [5]

• Strength [6]

• Muscle gaining potential [7]

• Injury risk [8]

How much sleep do you need?

You should aim for 7 hours or more sleep per night [9]. Not only will this help prevent an insatiable appetite sabotaging your weight loss endeavours, but it'll also help with your exercise performance, daily activity levels and, of course, optimise the hell out of your recovery.

Summary

In summary, sleep is a crucial pillar holding up your body composition and fat loss journey, so don't neglect it. Strive to get at least 7 hours per night; I know this is often easier said than done; I have kids, I get it! And it’s not just our kids that can disrupt our sleep, my cats woke me up last night by turning the TV on — that’s not a joke either, they jump on the sofa, stand on the remote and wake me up. At least, that's how I think it goes down, perhaps it’s more methodical, and they’re sat there holding the remote saying ‘this will be funny’. Or maybe they’re watching TV all night and eventually it just wakes me up. I don’t know what to believe! But do what you can to cash in as much good quality sleep as possible. After a few nights of good sleep, you'll be feeling awesome and will find diet and exercise significantly easier and much more enjoyable!