How much sleep do you get each night?

nomorewishing · February 2013

I try to get at least 7 hours everyday except Saturday. On Saturday's I try to get about 10-11 hours, I need all the sleep I can get to be able to deal with Sundays. And I haven't lost anything yet, I just started up again yesterday.

imfivebyfive · February 2013

I sleep 9 to 10+ hours a night.

I've lost 11 lbs since beginning of December. I'm rarely ever hungry.

If I don't sleep enough though I'm ravenous.

Lack of sleep has been shown to increase hunger the next day. It's just your body trying to offset the lack of sleep with extra energy.

mrspinky85 · February 2013

I was recently thinking my lack of sleep contributed to my eating. I really need to get to the bottom of my restless nights.

amberbabb26 · February 2013

9 hours usually I've lost 21 pounds

cococa · February 2013

there is scientific evidence showing that both sleep quality, and sleep quantity have an effect on body composition.

If you are working out most of your body's HGH, and testosterone are released while in deep sleep. Both of these are critical to weight-loss.

Hmmm, I've actually read more scientific articles citing levels of ghrelin and leptin contributing to weight gain in those who are sleep-deprived. The balance of these two hormones affects appetite. When you're sleep-deprived you have higher levels of ghrelin (a hormone that tells you to eat) and lower levels of leptin (a hormone that tells you to stop eating), and indeed researchers find that sleep-deprived individuals tend to take in more calories during the day and usually these calories are in the form of fast food or junk food.

I see the hgh/testosterone theory much more so in non-scientific supplement articles. That being said, hgh/testosterone are important hormones for muscle-building, and your body does burn more calories maintaining muscle than it does fat, so I can see how this might help. However, the difference here is rather small (about 15-20 calories more per pound of muscle each day), so unless you're planning on building a ton of muscle this probably won't be a noticeable difference on its own.

From what I've read, if you're getting 6-8 hours of quality sleep each night you are more likely to successfully shed some pounds (see Kaiser's study from 2011). If you're slightly under or over I wouldn't worry too much, statistics don't account for all individual differences. Some of us do need less or more than the average. However, if you find that your sleep is poor or short, and you're having trouble resisting convenience food or finding the energy to exercise, solving the problems that disrupt or shorten your sleep may be a good place to start.

For the OP, you mention work and having too much to do as reasons why you stay up late, and you mention sleeping about 4-6 hours per night. You're not too far off, but it certainly couldn't hurt to get up closer to 6 hours per night. If that's what you want to do, I'd recommend starting a bedtime routine at a specific time (based on when you need to wake up) and promising yourself that once you start it you won't do anything work or chore related. If going straight to brushing teeth is hard, you can try starting with something you enjoy like relaxing music or a cup of tea (this is completely up to you). Whatever you do if you stick with it, the routine will be a great behavioral cue to your body that it's time to shut down. If you struggle cutting yourself off, you can try keeping a notebook near your bed. When you think of something, write it down for later instead of doing it right then and there. Remember it's always easier to replace behavior than just stop it all together

.

moustache_flavored_lube · February 2013

there is scientific evidence showing that both sleep quality, and sleep quantity have an effect on body composition.

If you are working out most of your body's HGH, and testosterone are released while in deep sleep. Both of these are critical to weight-loss.

Hmmm, I've actually read more scientific articles citing levels of ghrelin and leptin contributing to weight gain in those who are sleep-deprived. The balance of these two hormones affects appetite. When you're sleep-deprived you have higher levels of ghrelin (a hormone that tells you to eat) and lower levels of leptin (a hormone that tells you to stop eating), and indeed researchers find that sleep-deprived individuals tend to take in more calories during the day and usually these calories are in the form of fast food or junk food.

I see the hgh/testosterone theory much more so in non-scientific supplement articles. That being said, hgh/testosterone are important hormones for muscle-building, and your body does burn more calories maintaining muscle than it does fat, so I can see how this might help. However, the difference here is rather small (about 15-20 calories more per pound of muscle each day), so unless you're planning on building a ton of muscle this probably won't be a noticeable difference on its own.

From what I've read, if you're getting 6-8 hours of quality sleep each night you are more likely to successfully shed some pounds (see Kaiser's study from 2011). If you're slightly under or over I wouldn't worry too much, statistics don't account for all individual differences. Some of us do need less or more than the average. However, if you find that your sleep is poor or short, and you're having trouble resisting convenience food or finding the energy to exercise, solving the problems that disrupt or shorten your sleep may be a good place to start.

For the OP, you mention work and having too much to do as reasons why you stay up late, and your graph (which I LOVE by the way) seems to indicate that you're just slightly under the 6 hour mark. Based on your exercise and weight loss, it looks like 6 hours isn't so bad for you, BUT managing some of that stress and getting up to 6-7 hours certainly couldn't hurt. If that's what you want to do, I'd recommend starting a bedtime routine at a specific time (based on when you need to wake up) and promising yourself that once you start it you won't do anything work or chore related. If going straight to brushing teeth is hard, you can try starting with something you enjoy like relaxing music or a cup of tea (this is completely up to you). Whatever you do if you stick with it, the routine will be a great behavioral cue to your body that it's time to shut down. If you struggle cutting yourself off, you can try keeping a notebook near your bed. When you think of something, write it down for later instead of doing it right then and there. Remember it's always easier to replace behavior than just stop it all together .

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0024320569900344

http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2011/20110531-sleep.html

waylandcool · February 2013

5 and a half to 7 hours on a weekday (usually around 6) and usually 7 on the weekends. Much more than 7 hours and I wind up fighting a migrane all day.

cococa · February 2013

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0024320569900344

http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2011/20110531-sleep.html

Ah, but I'm not disputing that sleep disruption affects levels of hgh and testosterone. I'm just saying that for individuals not interested in building a ton of muscle, these levels alone aren't enough to account for weight gain or loss. Neither of those articles relates the findings to weight.

cococa · February 2013

Let me admit right up front that I’m a geek.

^^see; Geek! :bigsmile:

The blue line represents my actual sleeping time – not my time in bed but the amount of time I was actually laying still and in deep sleep. During these 15 weeks I averaged 5:44 hours of sleep.

The green line represents my true calorie deficit. During these 15 weeks I averaged only a 650 calorie deficit per day but you can see that during my ‘long run’ week I drop way below that.

The purple line represents my weight loss. During these 15 weeks I have lost 7.6 lbs.

I did this graph from my FitBit weekly report because I had convinced myself that there was a correlation between the amount I sleep (or don’t) and my weight…It sure doesn’t look like I am right.

I LOVE your graph! It's interesting that on week three you have the least sleep and the smallest deficit, and early on some of your largest deficits are on some of your weeks with the most sleep. You probably don't see these changes reflected in your weight loss, because it was just one week. Looks like you're doing great. Congrats!

ruqayyahsmum · February 2013

i sleep between 8 and 16 hours a night, ive lost 12lb in the last 3 weeks

doesnt matter how long i sleep im always tired with periods of overwhelming exaustion ( medical condition )

its not good quality sleep thou as i wake frequently

i did years of sleep deprevation thou as my daughter sleept in my room for 5 years on oxygen, sats monitor and a feed pump. the blinking machines were regularly alarming. i gained 6 stone in that time living on sugar and caffine to keep me going

ohmelgosh79 · February 2013

Sunday- Thursday I get 6-8 hrs a night but then I'm awake from Friday morning until Sunday morning straight.

rachaelheaney · February 2013

4-5 hours sleep a night when I'm working, 8-10 hours a night when I'm not.

I've lost 21lbs so far. I had a week off work in January and lost more weight though, but that's most likely due to increased exercise, rather than sleep. I work an office job.

lewcompton · February 2013

Usually sleep less than six hours per night and have lost 134 since July 1st...

Schmidty102 · February 2013

I average anywhere from 7-10 hours of sleep per night (some days I have to stay up and cram in some studying for an exam and might get even less, but after days off of school and weekends average in, I would say I get roughly 8 hours of sleep per night.)

Jan 2012-Dec 2012 I lost 24lbs
Jan 2013-Current I have lost 11lbs

NotBonJovi · February 2013

7 to 7½ hours per night. I am starting the weight loss journey, and have now made it a habit not to watch TV news before going to bed. I sleep soon after I hit the bed and wake up rested.

alyssa92982 · February 2013

5-5/12 hrs when I work 6/7 hrs on my nights off , 10 lbs lost

desrosiersf · February 2013

I have lost 20 pounds so far. I always get at least 7 hours of sleep each night and I always have the same schedule (to the point where I now wake up 5 mins before my alarm clock). The human body adapts itself based on your habits. That's why we should always go to bed at the same time (1:00am for me) and wake up at the same time (9:00am for me). I used to have a really mixed up sleep pattern (wouldn't sleep for a night, then would sleep 12 hours the next, etc, etc.) and I can tell you that I was definitely eating more, felt more depressed, had less energy and was generally feeling like CRAP.

I used to have the same problem that you have, unable to go to bed mainly because i'd be on the computer doing any kind of stuff. Here's my tip, turn off EVERY electronic gadgets 1 to 2 hours before going to bed (this includes your computer, TV, cellphone, ipad, ipod, etc.). Instead, read a book/magazine or something relaxing like that. Also try to turn off most of your lights and create a dark atmosphere to prepare your body for sleep.

You may ask why ? Here's the thing, melatonin is the hormone in our body which regulates our internal clocks and plays a role in the sleep cycle. When we feel sleepy/yawn/feel that our eyelids are heavy, it's because our body is releasing melatonin. But here's the problem, researchers have recently found out that artificial lights (i.e LEDs) from electronic devices at night may reduce melatonin levels !!! And researchers say melatonin suppression may not only cause sleep disturbances, but also raise the risk of obesity, diabetes and other disorders.

So to put it simply, going on the computer or checking your emails or using any other electronic devices stimulate brain activity (that is well known) thus disrupting your ability to drift off to sleep but it also reduce melatonin levels which make you even less sleepy !

try turning them off 1-2 hours before going to bed for a week, and I promise you that you'll see a HUGE difference

Gemalar · February 2013

currently 3 hours :grumble:

terrie_k · February 2013

Less than 7 hours sleep and have been gaining weight. I have also been exercising more too an the weight keeps coming on (appox 10 lbs in 2 months - lots because I was in the 120s before).

michellemybelll · February 2013

it's quite reassuring to read that the 4-6 hours of sleep/night i tend to get isn't all that abnormal! it seems a lot of you guys are only getting around those hours of sleep too, and have still had significant weight loss. It's caused me anxiety in the past, when i only get 4 hours of sleep/night because i'm "supposed" to get 8 hours or whatever the number may be.

How much sleep do you get each night?

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