Sleeping too much?

Lizshouse88

I got to thinking about this and thought i'd ask around. Saturday night I went out and stayed up until about 5am (yeah it was a long night), but the next morning I had lost a little more than usual than I do day-to-day. (Keep in mind here I was drinking so I probably got quite a few calories in that night) So it got me wondering, can too much sleep hinder your weight loss? I generally get 10-12 hours of sleep per night, and my weight loss hasn't been as much as i'd like it to be. So I was just curious to know if maybe i'm getting too much sleep and its causing me not to lose as much weight. My logic here is that maybe sleeping too much causes the calories you ate that day to "settle" more? Like turn into fat instead of being burned because you aren't moving....

Shweedog

I'm no doctor so please do not take this as medical advice but 10-12 hrs every night seems excessive. Our metabolism slows while we sleep so it may actually hinder weight loss to sleep that much. Lack of sleep can be an issue too. That is my problem. I average about 5-6 hrs per night.

erickirb

You can sleep too much. When you sleep you burn less calories. If you are sleeping that much than MFP probably over estimated your maintenance calories.

From all of the information I came across you should get a minimum of 7 hours per night and a maximum of 9 hours. More than 9 hours can hinder athletic performance and weight loss or weight gain. Ideally you should get 7.5 to 8.5/ night.

thedreamhazer

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23887908/

"Participants who initially reported sleeping five to six hours nightly were about 35 percent more likely to gain 11 pounds and and nearly 30 percent more likely to pack on enough weight to be deemed obese over the years than those who reported getting seven to eight hours of shuteye each night. Participants getting nine to 10 hours of sleep were 25 percent more likely to gain 11 pounds and more than 20 percent more likely to become obese than the ideal sleepers."


Definitely check out the article if you can!

Lizshouse88

Thanks guys! I have always been one to LOVE their sleep and 10-12 hours a night is normal for me (and my kids, my now 1 year old has slept 12 hours per night straight since she was about 4-5 months old - I just got used to sleeping that much right along with her)... but I guess I need to cut back on my sleep a little maybe it will help me lose weight!

bmiller211

also alcohol dehydrates you so it could be that affecting your weight

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

I dont think it would hinder you too much. You probably burn a decent amount of calories when sleeping. 12 hours of sleep is a lot though But, I know the feeling of needing extra sleep. I seem to need more than others as well.

I used the BodyMedia FIT and it told me I burn almost 800 calories every night just sleeping. Though..I work out a lot. If you work out, your mood lifts, and you may find that you don't need 12 hours as often. Overall, getting *enough* sleep results in better overall results (citing a couple research papers Ive read)..

MinnieInMaine

This doesn't answer your question and I don't want to sound like negative nancy...but I just wanted to caution you about taking the next day's scale reading as any kind of proof of one day's activity being different. It's possible that all the drinking dehydrated you and that's all the difference. I know for me, it can take up to two weeks for any kind of change in habit to reflect on the scale.

Either way, yeah, I'd say 10-12 hours of sleep is a bit much. 7-9 hours is much more reasonable.

bethvandenberg

I aim for 8 hours a night. Sometimes I get them and sometimes more/less. I think 10-12 hours is a lot..... Why are you so tired? Maybe start looking at why you want/desire/need so much sleep.

Lizshouse88

This doesn't answer your question and I don't want to sound like negative nancy...but I just wanted to caution you about taking the next day's scale reading as any kind of proof of one day's activity being different. It's possible that all the drinking dehydrated you and that's all the difference. I know for me, it can take up to two weeks for any kind of change in habit to reflect on the scale.

Either way, yeah, I'd say 10-12 hours of sleep is a bit much. 7-9 hours is much more reasonable.

I actually ended up with swollen feet that night from driving (1 1/2 hours there and back) and also from sitting in the car for about an hour, just sitting. The next morning I had lost .8lbs from the day before. I usually gain about 2-3 lbs just in my feet when they do that... lol. I don't THINK I was dehydrated because I brought bottled water with me and drank about 40oz of water through the night while drinking the alcohol.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

'More likely', not necessarily cause and effect. People that sleep that much might have other tendencies. Im not disregarding this, but correlation doesn't imply causation.

Participants getting nine to 10 hours of sleep were 25 percent more likely to gain 11 pounds and more than 20 percent more likely to become obese than the ideal sleepers."

Lizshouse88

I aim for 8 hours a night. Sometimes I get them and sometimes more/less. I think 10-12 hours is a lot..... Why are you so tired? Maybe start looking at why you want/desire/need so much sleep.

I never really looked at it like that before. I always just thought I liked sleep and thats all it was. I guess I could be anemic again (haven't been since I was like 13 though). I also have circulation problems -causes my feet to swell - could that make a person more tired??