Can Sleep Help You Lose More Weight?

Sleep plays a huge role in our fitness, even in weight loss. When it comes to getting fit the first thing that comes to mind is working out. 

Working out is the first step in the right direction, but in order to get maximum results, there are two other pillars that we need to consider. A big part of getting fit and reaching your goals will come from nutrition and sleeping. Nutrition will be covered in another blog, for now, we’ll stick to how sleep is essential. 

We all sleep and some of us really struggle to get good solid hours of sleep. My number one recommendation to go to bed on time is to stop the use of electronics at least 1 hour before bed. This means, no Tik Tok, no Facebook, and essentially no phone or TV before bed. Artificial lighting stimulates the brain and actually keeps you up. 

Now, a regular 7-8 hours a day could actually help you lose weight. Sleeping not only helps you recover from a hard workout and recharges your batteries. Going into deep restful sleep can actually help you produce hormones that can speed up weight loss like HGH (Human Growth Hormone.) If you deprive yourself of sleeping hours you could actually stump the weight loss process and it can take longer than it needs to. 

Another tip for having great quality sleep is eating dinner at least 2 hours before bed. Look, we have all been there, it’s 10 p.m., the munchies set in, and honestly, you just want one more snack before bed. Falling into this temptation robs you of going into deep sleep sooner. Eating late at night and then going to bed is not as beneficial when it comes to REM sleep since your body will be busy digesting the food instead of letting your body just rest and recover. 

Lastly, for those in here who are over 21…. Alcohol could be robbing you of your gains. I know we don’t like hearing this, but it’s true. Drinking interrupts sleep quality and it does not let you go into a deep sleep. It is almost the same concept as eating late at night. Your body will be processing the alcohol instead of letting your mind and body rest. I would recommend trying to limit the drinks to only the weekend instead of having them during the week. This way you feel well-rested and are able to hit every workout during the week with high intensity to get maximum gains. 

I hope these tips help remind everyone as to why if you are looking to lose weight, it is important to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep daily.

Thanks guys,
Coach Nelly

As always, we hope this helps! For any questions and all suggestions, please email us at TeamSP@SportsPerformancePT.com