Poor Sleep Sabotages Weight Loss—Getting More Can Boost Metabolism
Do you ever feel like you’re doing everything right when it comes to your diet and exercise, but you’re still feeling sluggish and bloated? If so, you might be neglecting a crucial piece of the puzzle—sleep! Believe it or not, sleep is just as important for weight loss as diet and exercise. When we don’t get enough quality sleep, our metabolism slows down, appetite increases, and our hormones go out of balance. This can lead to difficulty losing weight or weight gain, especially for women.
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Is lack of sleep causing weight gain?
Inadequate sleep or having inconsistent sleeping patterns is associated with weight gain, and a higher BMI.
There are many factors that can contribute to weight gain, but one of the most important is sleep. When you don’t get enough quality sleep, your metabolism slows down, appetite increases, and hormones go out of balance. This can lead to difficulty losing weight on a cellular level.
In addition, studies also show that sleep deprivation makes it harder to resist cravings and make healthy choices, and reduces the effectiveness of workouts—if you even muster up the energy to go at all!
Related: Nighttime Anxiety Keeping You Up? Here’s How to Deal
How sleep affects your metabolism
Sleep plays a vital role in regulating our metabolism. Sleep loss causes a cascade of changes to hormones, eating habits, energy production, and so many other processes that can result in a vicious cycle of poor sleep quality and a slow metabolism.
Being sleep deprived increases leptin resistance
The hormone leptin is the link between your gut, appetite, and your brain and nervous system. And in terms of metabolism, it controls two main things: your appetite and energy expenditure. One recent review shows a link between shortened sleep, leptin dysregulation, and obesity (1).
Poor sleep makes weight loss harder because it increases what’s known as leptin resistance. This is a state of dysregulation where your body isn’t listening to leptin’s signal, you’re still feeling super hungry all the time, but your metabolism is burning less calories.
This is a weight gain double whammy: you’re hungry, and your body is doing everything it can to conserve energy (that is, not burning calories)
Learn more: Leptin Resistance Causes Weight Gain, Cravings
Insufficient sleep ramps up cravings
When you’re sleep-deprived, it’s harder to resist cravings. In fact, studies show that sleep deprivation can increase cravings for calorie-dense, high carbohydrate foods.
A review published in the journal Sleep found that when participants were sleep deprived, they ate more calories and carbohydrates than when they were well-rested (2).
Try: 4 High-Protein Recipes for Women’s Weight Loss
Poor quality sleep affects your hormones
Poor sleep can also lead to hormonal imbalances that make it harder to lose weight, and one of the most important hormones for weight loss is insulin.
Poor sleep is linked to insulin resistance, which is a major player in weight gain. Insulin is a hormone that helps store glucose (sugar) in your cells for energy. When you have insulin resistance, your cells don’t respond properly to insulin and can’t take in sugar from the blood. This causes your body to make more insulin to try to get the sugar into your cells. Over time, this can lead to weight gain, type II diabetes, and other chronic health conditions (3).
Read: Should You Eat Under Your BMR to Lose Weight?
Losing sleep increases inflammation
Chronic inflammation is a major player in weight gain, and poor sleep can increase inflammation. In one study, researchers found that participants who slept less than six hours per night had higher levels of inflammatory markers than those who slept more (4).
These markers are associated with an increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes.
So, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you could be setting yourself up for weight gain by increasing inflammation.
Not sleeping elevates cortisol, stresses adrenal glands
Cortisol is a stress hormone that’s released by the adrenal glands. When we’re stressed, our cortisol levels go up.
Not sleeping contributes in a significant way to chronic stress, which then leads to adrenal fatigue, or cortisol dysfunction. This can lead to weight gain, since one of the main functions of cortisol is to regulate metabolism.
In addition, when we’re stressed, our bodies crave comfort foods that are high in sugar and fat. This is because these highly palatable foods can help to temporarily increase serotonin levels, which helps to improve mood.
So, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you could be setting yourself up for weight gain by stressing your adrenal glands and increasing your cravings for unhealthy comfort foods.
Related: How to Fix Adrenal Fatigue + Cortisol Dysfunction
How much sleep do you really need?
Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night, but there is some variation from person to person. The important thing is that you feel rested and energetic during the day. If you’re consistently not getting enough sleep, it’s likely you’ll feel the effects.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the best time to go to bed is between 9 and 11 pm to conserve energy for the following day. It’s also crucial that you’re asleep from the hours of 11 pm to 5 am, as this is when the liver, lungs, and gallbladder work to detox the prior day’s toxins. If you’re awake during this time, you may feel sluggish, unmotivated, or have a headache the next day.
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Sleeping better may help you lose weight
For my patients, sleep is very often the missing puzzle piece to bringing health goals to fruition, whether it’s weight loss, hormone balance, or better mental health. If you’re not getting enough sleep, it’s very clear that it can sabotage your weight loss efforts. But if you focus on getting better sleep, it may help you lose weight.
There are a few things you can do to improve your sleep:
- Have a consistent bedtime and wake time—even on the weekends. Try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day. This will help regulate your circadian rhythm so you can readily fall asleep every night and wake up easily.
- Try a sleep-supportive supplement. Supplements that contain magnesium or relaxing herbs are a helpful part of a good evening routine. About half of adults don’t get enough magnesium, which may make it difficult to relax both your mind and body. Magnesium exists in several different forms, but magnesium bisglycinate or magnesium glycinate are easily absorbed and commonly used to support restful sleep.
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- Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime. Coffee, wine, or a super sugary dessert can all interfere with restful sleep, not to mention drive cravings the following day. Limit caffeine to before 12 pm, and look for a bedtime snack that’s a good source of protein—like walnuts or cottage cheese—to help stabilize blood sugar and stay asleep.
- Don’t go to bed with your phone. If you can, avoid working or using electronic devices in bed. The light from screens can make it harder for your brain to shut down at night. If you absolutely need to use a device in bed, try wearing blue-light blocking glasses.
- Get enough movement. Regular exercise is a great help for solving many sleep problems. Aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity and you’ll likely have an easier time falling asleep. Just remember to leave the more intense workouts for daytime hours, and not too close to bedtime.
Focus on quality sleep and be consistent to lose weight
Don’t underestimate the importance of small changes like the above to improve your sleep habits and metabolic health. Your bedtime routine will be unique to your situation, but aim for dim lights, low sounds, a cup of soothing tea, and a calm, inviting bedroom. If you need extra support, don’t forget a sleep supplement, and try to avoid things that are too stimulating, like your phone, TV, or bright lights.
Watch: Not Sleeping? Here’s What to Do
Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Not only will you feel better rested, but you may also find it easier to lose weight. Follow the tips above to help improve your sleep habits and see how it affects your health!
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