Do our sleep needs increase with exercise?

SuperJo1972

Hey

Yesterday I felt like I had hit a brick wall. I could barely keep my eyes open and was totally shattered. I was not unwell and other than the tiredness felt in good spirits. I ended up going home from work and then sleeping for 12 hours straight. Prior to this I had been feeling much more awake and alert (and happy) on my new healthy eating, gradual weightloss, exercising journey.

My weight loss seems to have slowed down in the last few weeks and, although I know I need to tweak it, I am unsure what the exact problem is. My calorie goal is around 1500, sometimes under a little, sometimes over a little, but it averages out about right. I have been doing cardio (walks, gym, swimming etc.) and have lost around 18 pounds since I started in mid October, but things are slowing down and I am not sure what the issue is.

After yesterday's tiredness, I am wondering if the sticking point might be a lack of sleep time to allow my body to recharge properly. I have always functioned fine on 7 hours sleep a night, but I wonder if I should try and get a little more shut-eye now that I am working hard and asking my body to change it's composition. Especially as I am about to start working weights into the scenario.

Any thoughts or advice are welcome.