Your sleeping habits can be the single reason why you haven’t reached your fitness goals. Keep reading to learn why and what you can do to fix this!
Sleep Affects Your Eating Habits
You know how appealing all the pastries look at the cafe when you’re getting your morning coffee after a bad night’s sleep? It’s like your body is screaming for all that deliciousness to give you extra energy to get through the day.
This happens because that’s pretty much exactly what your body is doing.
Lack of sleep causes changes in your brain activity. These changes make you find high calorie foods more appealing. The more sleep deprived you are, the stronger your desire for high calorie foods (such as pizza, burgers, ice cream and other fast food and treats) is.
In studies people have eaten an average of 600 more daily calories when sleep deprived, compared to when they’re well rested. That is about one extra meal worth of energy!
If your goal is to change your eating habits, reduce cravings and eat healthier - prioritizing sleep needs to be at the top of your list.
You Recover In Your Sleep
The main energy source of the body, glucose, moves from your bloodstream into your muscles to be stored as muscle glycogen when you sleep. This form of energy is readily available to be used as fuel by your muscles for daily activities and exercise.
If you are not getting enough sleep, the muscle glycogen stores are not getting optimally replenished. This can mean poorer performance in your workouts!
More Sleep, More Gains
An important hormone called Human Growth Hormone (hGH) gets released during deep sleep. This hormone allows your muscles to repair and grow. The more deep sleep you get, the more hGH gets released and the more hGH there is, the more you grow.
You Lose Less Fat When You Don’t Sleep Enough
A 2010 study looked into the effects of sleep for fat loss. Researchers divided the subjects into two groups:
Group 1: 8,5 hours of sleep/night
Group 2: 5,5 hours of sleep/night
Both groups ate a regulated, calorie restricted diet.
The group that slept only 5,5 hours per night lost 55% less fat than the group that got adequate sleep. The sleep deprived group also lost 60% more muscle.
As we can see, sleep doesn’t only have a big impact on muscle growth and recovery, but also on what kind of weight you lose. Sleep loss equals muscle loss!
How To Improve Sleep Quality & Quantity
Avoid High Stress Activities Late In The Day
High intensity workouts, work meetings and difficult conversations all induce stress. Try to schedule these into the first half of your day whenever possible. In the evening prioritise activities that help you wind down such as reading, meditation or gentle movement.
Limit Caffeine Intake
No caffeine for at least 6 hours before bedtime.
It can take up to 10 hours for caffeine to completely clear from your bloodstream. Especially if you’re a heavy coffee drinker, you may be able to fall asleep without any issues even after an evening cup of coffee. However, the caffeine in your system still affects your sleep quality.
A 2013 study looked into the effects of having caffeine 0, 3 and 6 hours before bedtime. In all cases, the amount and quality of sleep were significantly distubed by the caffeine consumption.
Digital Detox
Electronic devices can keep us up and alert. Try to put all devices away at least 1 hour before bedtime. For an extra effect, try to keep your phone out of the bedroom altogether.
Consistent Sleeping Schedule
Going to bed and getting up around the same time every day helps your body to form a natural rhythm. With time, you may notice yourself getting sleepy around the same time every night and waking up without an alarm.
Summary
Sleep is a big deal and can dramatically affect the results you get from your fitness program.
While it is a major factor, it is only one of many. For optimal results, you want to look into your nutrition, training and all other lifestyle habits as well to reach the results you want.
You can start your journey towards a healthier you today by joining my online training program or by booking a free 1:1 consultation with me.
I hope you enjoyed this post & found the information helpful!
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