If wishing made it so, there would be a simple trick that helped everyone lose weight. Unfortunately, weight loss journeys are unique to each individual, and many factors are at play.
One of them is sleep.
Sleep is one of the most overlooked ingredients in weight loss recipes. You can slash your calories to smithereens and run on the treadmill for hours, but you may have trouble achieving your goals if you’re not supporting your body with rest and restoration.
That’s where we come in. Dr. Michael Skardasis and our team at Optimal Performance Medicine in Woodstock, Georgia, specialize in helping patients with weight loss, but we don’t use fancy tricks or fad diets. We use what works — helping your body help itself with nutrition, regular movement, stress management, and, as we cover in this blog, adequate restful sleep.
Sleep isn’t just about closing your eyes and hitting the hay. It’s a complex interplay of hormones, brain waves, and bodily functions working together to restore and rejuvenate your entire body. Your sleep habits play a significant role in regulating appetite, metabolism, and energy levels, which are vital factors in weight management.
How much sleep do you need? Adults should get at least seven hours of quality (uninterrupted) sleep every night.
Some people might wear “running on fumes” like a badge of honor, but not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your health, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.
When you’re sleep deprived, your body produces more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and suppresses leptin, the hormone that signals fullness. The result is that you’re hungrier and less satisfied throughout the day, and less able to resist overeating, snacking, and larger portions.
At the same time, your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases calorie and fat storage. Those who don’t get enough sleep may also have more insulin sensitivity, a precursor to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
It’s important to note that sleeping itself doesn’t magically melt away fat, but it supports the efforts you’re making during the day and could improve your results.
At Optimal Performance Medicine, we don’t just dispense medications and advice; instead, we talk about what’s going on with your health and work with you to create an action plan that fits your needs and lifestyle. We recognize the numerous obstacles to weight loss and provide support for all of them, including poor sleep.
Here are a few ways you can get started on improving this secret weapon even before your appointment with Dr. Skardasis.
Get up and go to bed at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycles.
You want to go to bed full but not stuffed, satisfied but not starving. If you must eat, choose something packed with magnesium, calcium, or tryptophan — for example, almonds, bananas, oatmeal, warm milk, and cherries. Those nutrients help your body relax and support healthy sleep cycles.
We also recommend avoiding heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime — the same goes for nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol.
Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet. Light exposure in the evenings can make it challenging to fall asleep, so avoid screens just before bedtime. Room-darkening shades, earplugs, and fans or sound machines are particularly useful.
Long daytime naps reduce nighttime sleep pressure, so we recommend limiting your naps to no more than one hour during the earlier part of the day.
Regular physical activity can promote better sleep — just don’t ramp up your activity too close to bedtime.
An overthinking mind is hard to put to sleep. Do what you can to manage your stress, and download your concerns by writing them down or talking them out before the end of the day.
Sleep might be what’s missing in your weight loss efforts, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Contact Optimal Performance Medicine today to schedule an appointment with our weight loss and wellness experts.
