I think the majority of humans are in the same boat when it comes to sleep. When we don’t get enough, it can alter every aspect of our day! When I train clients who have had 8 hours of sleep vs those who have had 5 or less, the difference in their energy, drive and even self-efficacy is affected.
I’m sure you’ve heard that having enough sleep every night can increase your productivity throughout the day, but did you know that it can also help you lose weight? If you are carrying around unwanted weight, you might want to take a closer look at your sleeping habits.
When we lack proper sleep our propensity to crash in the afternoon is greater. We might be sitting at our desk, nodding off, and in order to get through the rest of the afternoon, we grab a coffee and a donut to stay awake. When we are over tired, we don’t often make the wisest food choices. We want a quick energy boost. Fats and sugars give us that for a short period of time, but we are left with little energy afterward, plus all the unwanted calories from choosing empty foods.
The clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health, Michael Breus, says that on average we require 7.5 hours a night. He goes on to say, “If you are getting this already, another ½ hour is not going to help you lose 10 pounds, but if you are a 5-hour sleeper and start to sleep for 7 hours a night, you will start to lose weight.” The reason for this, Breus says, is because you eat more and your metabolism is slower when you are sleep deprived.
There are also 2 hormones that come into play when we lack sleep: leptin and ghrelin. Grhelin is the ‘GO’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep deprived, you have more grhelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you when to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.
The bottom line is that we need our beauty sleep! It helps us function, keep unwanted pounds at bay, increases our metabolism and makes us all around happier people. Below are some expert sleep tips to ensure that you are deriving all of the benefits a good sleep provides:
- Get your body clock into a routine. Aim to go to bed at the same time every night and have a night time routine. Take a bath, drink some decaf tea, or read before bed.
- Take it easy before bed. Don’t work up until the 11th hour, spend an hour winding down and give your brain a break.
- Ban screens from the bedroom. The light and sound of your phone beeping at 2am can distract us from sleep and really there is almost nothing that cannot wait until morning.
- Keep your room cool. This can be tricky if one partner likes it warmer, so keep extra blankets handy. The optimal temperature for sleeping is between 15c-18c.
- Write down in a journal tomorrow’s to-do list, or any problems circulating in your brain preventing you from getting into a relaxed state prior to sleep. Try to go to bed with a clear head
- Listen to white noise or sounds of nature. Our whole family has fans in their room! Research has shown that listening to white noise can drown out distracting noises and help you get a better sleep.
- Practice mindful meditation. Pay attention to the moment and focus on your breathing. If your mind tries to think of something else, which it will, gently bring it back to the moment and focus on your breath. Notice where it goes in your body, how it makes your chest feel.
- Save caffeinated drinks for the morning. Get in the habit of drinking decaffeinated tea after dinner. I usually don’t have any liquids after 8pm as I don’t want to be disrupted by a bathroom break at 3am.
Try implementing some of these strategies to increase your quality of sleep!
