Lose Weight In Your Sleep
May 24, 2023 | Words by Gabe Yanez
The One Hack That Actually Works
In a world obsessed with weight loss hacks, from juice cleanses to cold immersions, it can be easy to forget that there are no shortcuts to real, sustainable changes.
However, one simple "hack" has been shown to contribute significantly to weight loss and overall health: sleep.
So how much of an impact can sleep have on your body composition goals? More than you think.
Let’s dive in.
The 270-Calorie Sleep Trick
It turns out that an extra hour of sleep might just be the missing piece to you looking and feeling your best. Researchers have found that prioritizing sleep can lead to eating significantly less food.
By improving sleep from 6.5 hours to 7.5 hours per night, participants ended up eating 270 fewer calories per day.
That is a significant difference, especially if you’ve hit a plateau in reaching your body composition goals.
This impact on food consumption happens because a lack of quality sleep is linked to weight gain and disrupted brain chemicals that influence hunger. Sleep deprivation can cause you to feel hungrier, have trouble feeling satisfied when you eat, and crave more calorically-dense foods high in sugar and fat.
By skimping on sleep, you are setting yourself up for failure when staying disciplined with your nutrition. It is as simple as that — sleep more, eat less.
One Thing To Try This Week
Stop The Doomscrolling
If you struggle with sleep, start small. Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier and waking up 15 minutes later. Once you master that habit, gradually increase your sleep by 30 minutes until you reach the recommended 7-9 hours per night.
There are also things you can do to make sure you fall asleep faster once you are in bed and stay asleep throughout the night. Avoid blue light in the evening hours as much as possible. And if you have to be on your phone or computer after sunset, use blue light-blocking glasses.
Try reading or journaling before going to bed. Believe it or not, doomscrolling on social media or firing off last-minute emails is not conducive to a good night of sleep.
By prioritizing your sleep, you can break through your weight loss plateau and, most importantly, improve your health and well-being.
