Sleep and Weight Loss

bahamamama2

Ok, so I am a confirmed insomniac. While I set off to get into bed by a particular time, even going through the bedtime motions, once I crawl into bed I can't sleep. Every sound keeps me up. So I wind up staying up until 2 am or 4 am (as the case is tonight) which is when I start to feel sleepy enough to drown out the other "noise".

So while this happens most nights, I will either do house work or even log into my job's computer to catch up on some other work, or even work out. Anyway, I make it my point not to eat because 1) it defeats the purpose and 2) about that time at night I'm not really hungry just frustrated. But what I am seeing is that even though I am putting in a real effort I am not losing as much weight as I would like too, or even as much weight as I have in the past doing the same things.

So I pose this question to you all, do you think that my inablitiy to get 8 or more hours of restful sleep is holding me back from losing more weight?

Thanks--

lucylou9701

bump i have the same problem.... i dont really think its affecting my weight loss though but im not sure :S sorry to not be of any help.... best of luck

vchibba

I have read in many articles that sleep in itself burns calories.

How? you may ask. When you are asleep your body begins repairing itself from the days toil. So the days you have training, you should sleep early or try to get to bed. Those are the nights your body needs to repair or re-build. You should feel more sleepy on those days anyway.

On the night you can't sleep, read a boring book and/or listen to some classical music. There is a neat trick I saw on a Doctors or some other lifestyle show. Lie in bed and stretch your body from tip toes to head. Do this lying down, e.g. start twisting your toes, rolling your ankles, flexing your calves etc. till you reach your head (roll your neck). Spend about 5 seconds on each body part and concentrate like you would do in yoga or any other stretching. It does relax your body and get you sleepy. Works for me. Try it because lack of sleep will slow down your weight loss.

CarolynB38

Different people need different amounts of sleep but you really need at least 6 hours. If you are getting less than 6 hrs then it is probably making it more difficult to lose weight for a variety of reasons. One is just that you are very tired so your body tries to conserve energy and you probably can't exercise at the same intensity that you would if you were getting enough sleep and some people get more hungry and crave sugar when they are tired (like me, lol). Another reason is that your body produces more of the stress hormones (cortisol is one) and these make your body store fat more readily and hang on to it more. It doesn't mean you can't lose weight, just that you may find it more difficult.

I have insomnia too and I would really recommend Paul McKenna's book and self-hypnosis CD called "I can make you sleep". You need to read the book right through and I would recommend using the CD every night for at least a week, preferably two weeks, especially if you have had this problem for a while. The first few nights you may not be sleeping right through but you should hopefully get slightly more sleep and it will be better quality sleep too because your body and mind will be more relaxed.

Another way is to work out roughly how much sleep you get on a typical night. If it is 4 hours then go to bed at 2 am and set your alarm for 6 am. A couple of nights later go to bed half and hour earlier and so on until you are going to bed at a sensible time. It doesn't work for everyone but it does work for a lot of people.

You also need to clear your mind of any worries. If there are things you can sort out before you go to bed then do it. If you can't sort them out before bed then write down anything that is bothering you or that you need to sort out so you can put it out of your mind until morning. Try to relax in the evening - limit screen time (TV, computer etc), take a warm bath, have a hot drink (no caffeine) and maybe read a book or listen to relaxing music.

You have probably tried a lot of those things so I apologise if I am stating the obvious.

Insomnia sucks. I hope you manage to find a solution that works for you. Keep going with the weight loss. You can do it. It may be a little harder with little sleep but you can still do it. There are loads of people here to help and support you. Good luck :-)

xraychick77

the whole 8 hrs thing is a myth..everyone is different and we all get by on different amounts of sleep.

the key is restful sleep..not the amount...and yes it can inhibit weight loss.

MoonShadow_1au

The amount of calories you burn asleep is only slightly less than when you are awake. NOT eating as you say you make a point of doing is probably what has saved you from gaining weight.

Unfortunately sleep REM cycles are really useful. I am not sure about weight loss, but are needed for recovery if you are hitting the gym regularly.

MoonShadow_1au

The amount of calories you burn asleep is only slightly less than when you are awake. NOT eating as you say you make a point of doing is probably what has saved you from gaining weight.

Unfortunately sleep REM cycles are really useful. I am not sure about weight loss, but are needed for recovery if you are hitting the gym regularly.

CarolynB38

I have read in many articles that sleep in itself burns calories.

How? you may ask. When you are asleep your body begins repairing itself from the days toil. So the days you have training, you should sleep early or try to get to bed. Those are the nights your body needs to repair or re-build. You should feel more sleepy on those days anyway.

On the night you can't sleep, read a boring book and/or listen to some classical music. There is a neat trick I saw on a Doctors or some other lifestyle show. Lie in bed and stretch your body from tip toes to head. Do this lying down, e.g. start twisting your toes, rolling your ankles, flexing your calves etc. till you reach your head (roll your neck). Spend about 5 seconds on each body part and concentrate like you would do in yoga or any other stretching. It does relax your body and get you sleepy. Works for me. Try it because lack of sleep will slow down your weight loss.

Thanks for that. I forgot about the tensing and releasing muscles. That has been scientifically proven to help prepare your body for sleep so it's got to be worth a try

unsuspectingfish

You would not like my apartment complex. I've started wearing earplugs to bed. It's the only way I can sleep, anymore. People here are extremely inconsiderate and make noise at all hours of the day and night. Before I thought to use earplugs, I would get woken up multiple times during the night. Now, though, it damn near takes and explosion (or my alarm clock) to rouse me.

nickkiie

Hey sleep is really very necessary for the health

dixedreg

Well, we all know that sleep is important. And 8 hrs a night is best. Having said that, I average about 5 hrs. Sometimes it's a little more and sometimes it's a little less. I think as long as you feel OK you should be fine.

bahamamama2

Everyone thank you all for the support and the tips. I will try to put them in action for the next few weeks. I especially love the body tensing and relaxing it just may prove useful.

Robo sorry to hear that your neighbors are so bad; I live in NYC so my noise is usually the booming car systems or the bus that runs down our street with its air assist doors.

ShonzG

I used to have problems getting to sleep, or getting back to sleep if I woke up.... A psychologist tole me that I needed to make my bedroom my 'haven' and only do 'sleep' things in there.... My mobile phone and laptop are in the lounge room. One thing I do is listen to podcasts... And audiobooks.... I like there with my eyes closed in the dark and let the words put me to sleep. I know that it doesn't matter if I fall asleep and miss bits, because I can always go back (and I find now that happens all the time!!). Now I'm generally asleep within 10 minutes of lying down.

I hope this might help you.

barbacasec

I actually take Melatonin to help me fall asleep.

It is a natural product. Your body actually produces it - however some people dont produce enough so I take extra.
It doesnt knock you out like the other "sleep aids" it just helps me to relax and clear my head enough so I can fall asleep. i used lay in bed for hours and then get mad becuase I wasn't sleeping which then in turn would make it worse.. I would stare at the clock and say great now I only get 5hours, great now its 4 and so on....
Every little noise would keep me awake too.

good luck!!

melkadee

I usually have difficulty sleeping. I have noticed that when I get more sleep, I seem to lose more weight.