Have you ever wondered how sleep affects your weight loss? I believe that you have and that you have noticed that if you don’t sleep properly, in that case, you eat more and therefore it is harder to lose weight. We will briefly refer to a few facts and research that speak about your sleep. In this way, we want to help you understand that maybe it’s not a mistake in your physical exercise, but actually, your sleep affects you to lose weight more slowly.
There are several reasons you should seriously consider how long you sleep and the quality of your sleep. In addition to the fact that a sufficient amount of sleep affects the fact that you lose excess weight faster, a long and good sleep also affects your concentration, immunity, beauty, and rest. If you want to start a diet and want to start exercising at a local gym or with your personal trainer, you need to know that apart from diet, weight loss is also influenced by, among other things, quality and normal sleep. Therefore, if you are wondering how to lose weight healthily, without a lot of effort and various questions, such as “why do I pay so much attention to diet and exercise and still can’t lose weight”, just sleep. Experts believe quality sleep means sleeping from six to eight hours, and insufficient sleep means less than six hours.
Quality Sleep Burns More Fat
If you plan to lose weight for a certain period, it is necessary to sleep 7-8 hours a day, so that the results are visible for a consistent period. Namely, research has shown that not enough sleep can cause a loss of muscle mass and the ability to burn calories, which makes the process of losing weight quite difficult. The fatigue you feel due to sleepless nights affects the fact that fat deposits are consumed more slowly, even though you are on a certain diet or regularly practicing physical exercise. Also, it has been proven that women who sleep enough have a faster metabolism and eat 15% less food than those who do not have normal sleep. Therefore, if you want your diet to be effective and to lose weight as quickly as possible, make sure you get enough sleep and, of course, never neglect physical exercise and a healthy diet.
Scientific research has shown that people who sleep less than six hours a day have more fat tissue, unlike those who sleep an optimal seven hours a day throughout their lives. So sleep an hour longer and you will lose fat much easier and more efficiently. In addition, during the diet, it is advisable to extend your sleep by an hour, and experts claim that this way you will lose 700 grams of fat deposits per day. Also, certain studies have shown that the connection between lack of sleep or shorter sleep and obesity is greatest in younger and middle-aged people. To lose fat deposits faster, try not to think about business obligations for two hours before going to bed, and ensure that you get at least 6 hours of sleep after a night out. This immediately tells you that the stress, work and problems you face every day are not doing you any good. What’s more, they can only disturb your sleep and thus your plan to lose kilos and reach the desired weight.
When we talk about normal sleep and physical exercise, you have probably already noticed that if you are sleepy and rested, you can do a much better workout and certainly burn more calories that way. I’m sure you’ve heard that rest is just as important as physical exercise. Muscle mass grows when you rest. With this, you can conclude how important sleep is in weight loss and physical exercise. When we are tired, it is much more difficult for us to eat healthy foods, but we usually take fatty foods or carbohydrates, thinking that we will have more energy and thus eliminate the feeling of fatigue. Scientific studies have proven that women who sleep less gain significantly more weight in the waist area. Lack of sleep affects the increased level of cortisol and growth hormones in the body, which create fat deposits in the waist area, as a reserve in the fight against stress. Therefore, if you are on a diet and want to lose fat deposits and cellulite from the waist, in addition to taking care of your diet, you need to provide your body with enough sleep.
How To Make Your Sleep Better
For everything to work like clockwork, it should take some time to establish a routine and find a rhythm that suits you best, cause after all we are all individuals and different. No one said it would be easy, you just have to be persistent and persevere. Although even regular exercise in the morning can be associated with better sleep, for those who prefer the evening hours, it would be ideal to exercise about 3 to 4 hours before you go to bed and thus start your evening routine in a normal way, because late workouts could wake you up when you should be getting ready for bed. The point is that by exercising with a personal trainer we raise our body temperature and heart rate, and when our body prepares for sleep, the temperature naturally drops, so if you exercise too late, you risk reversing this process.
Exercise less than 1 hour – if you are not in shape, you should not suddenly start with exhausting training. This is about light exercises and 30 to 40 minutes is quite enough to feel their effect and to be able to endure. Also, you can certainly spare 30 to 40 minutes a day, so there are no excuses that you don’t have time to exercise. You don’t even have to exercise every day, you pick 3 to 4 times a week and go for it. And of course, another way is to hire your own personal trainer to push you if you feel unmotivated.
Sleep regularly – try to learn to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Eight hours of sleep is optimal for an adult, and you decide when that time starts to flow and try to stick to your schedule. It will take some time for the body to adjust, but once you get into that routine, you can do anything. And of course, try to stress yourself less to get some proper sleep.
Use a fitness tracker on your phone or watch – this little gadget can provide you with a lot of useful information that will help you optimize your training and get better sleep. And it will always remind you about your steps or heart rate for example.
Avoid caffeine in the evening before you go to bed – everything you’re doing can go down the drain very easily if you drink a cup of coffee in the late afternoon, the same goes for an energy drink or tea that contains high levels of caffeine. Caffeine remains in the body for hours after we drink it and it greatly affects when and how we sleep, so it is preferable not to consume it after 3 pm. It’s only a habit, that you can change if you try.
Ask Real Fit personal trainers for more tips and advice about sports and sleep. Besides our knowledge, we also speak from our experience and it is our pleasure to help you reach your health goals.
