For those of you who know me well, you know that I don’t sleep much. This got me thinking about the connection between sleep and weight loss. It turns out WebMD has an insightful article about the subject that puts things in perspective.
Lack of sleep can cause weight gain in a few ways, by affecting our metabolism and our attitudes towards exercise and eating well. When you think about it, how motivated are you to go to the gym or cook a healthy meal when your tired. Chances are you just feel like eating something quick and heading to the couch to relax, I know I have felt that way after a short night and a long day.
the clinical director of of the Institute for Sleep and Wake Disorders at Hackensack University Medical Center, Susan Zafarlotfi, PhD states :
“When you have sleep deprivation and are running on low energy, you automatically go for a bag of potato chips or other comfort foods,”
Metabolism can also be affected by sleep. In the article from WebMD, Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleepand the clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health states:
“It’s not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of sleep or good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly,” explains
So next time you think about staying up just a few more hours and sucking it up the next day, keep in mind the affect it may have on your weight loss goals.
Much more on the subject is available here: WebMD Sleep and Weigh Gain Article
