Is it true? Can more sleep make you healthier?

lizlucas1
lizlucas1 Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I'm noticing a pattern with a lot of people, and a lot of stories that I'm reading.

Can an increase in sleep really make and/or help make you healthier? I watched some television last night and a woman who was on the Biggest Loser and had lost close to 100 pounds made a comment about how she "works out, stops eating, cuts out all the foods she loved, and goes to bed early" and still seemed negative about her condition. The one thing that stuck out to me was that she said she "goes to bed early" to help herself be healthier. That's also something I notice with a lot of my friends on here, and people I interact with on MFP.

Can going to bed earlier or getting more sleep help you become healthier? Or does it do something else for people trying to lose weight?

Replies

  • SRHelicity
    SRHelicity Posts: 36
    I know that I gained most of my weight from late-night eating (often to either keep me awake or out of boredom). As such, going to bed early (that is, ~10 pm instead of 2-3 am) means that I'm sleeping when I would otherwise be munching or snacking. I have a little baby now, so his schedule has forced me to bump up my own bedtime (I can't sleep to 10 am like I used to when he gets up at 7 am), and, since I don't eat nearly as much in the morning as I do in the late evening, I end up eating fewer calories on my new schedule.

    There may be a metabolic reason to sleep more (being sleep deprived increases cortisol levels, if I recall correctly, in turn creating some metabolic issues), but I'll leave that up to someone who knows more about physiological effects of less sleep on metabolism and hormone levels that affect weight.
  • jennmodugno
    jennmodugno Posts: 363 Member
    I'm not an expert, but I've read that when you're tired, you're more likely to munch. ::shrug:: I know I try to get 9 hours a night if possible, and it helps my energy so I can keep active.
  • fkwilhelm
    fkwilhelm Posts: 42 Member
    If you are like me and you eat under stress then, absolutely, get more sleep. A good way to go there is to reduce caffeine.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Getting enough sleep will help your body repair itself, make you feel more energized and help avoid snacking. When your body is tired one of it's tricks to help get through the day is to make you crave sugars and carbs for the "boost". Not that you should sleep 12 hrs a day but most adults need 7 or 8 hours of good sleep a night for optimum health.

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