Sleep & Weight Loss

Blackdawn_70631
Blackdawn_70631 Posts: 283 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering how many people here actually get enough of it, or too much. Sleep is one of the things that will lend a hand in weight loss. It's another tool. Adults need a minimum of 7-8 hours, and teens 8-10.
I understand sleep is harder for someone with a house full of kids, or crazy school or work schedule.
I wasn't losing weight for years. And I watched how much I ate and exercised. Everything by the book, but still, nothing.
I knew my main issue was not enough sleep. Have no children and wasn't in school. It was work. My total drive was 80 miles round trip. Nearly an hour drive to my work place, and I had to be there at 6 AM. So this had me waking a little past 4 AM. Then I was originally scheduled to leave at 4:30, but cut that down to 4 by only taking a 30 minute lunch break. Not an hour.
By doing this I could be home thirty minutes earlier.
So I would have to be home by 5, hurry up and change, take a few minutes to relax then hurry and exercise by 6. Get something cooking and eating by 6:30 to 7, then still have to clean house and all, laundry and dishes then prep everything for tomorrow morning. That way I could sleep in longer.
So I was finished  by 8, giving me only 1 hour before bed.
No. That wasn't working for me. I was still up and active, I still wanted "me" time and was. Plus, my very active brain couldn't shut down in an hour. I even caught myself being up for 20 hours straight and not tired.
I got tired of it all and finally got transferred home. I wake up at 5 AM now, sometimes a bit later  and am home no later than 4:30, and now tired by 10 PM (7 hours of sleep).
And now the weight is coming off so quickly. People are noticing my weight loss. I no longer have a noticeable muffin top and love handles. I still do but they're small.
So sleep as been a major factor in my weight loss.

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Your stress level was at play here too!! Good sleep is incredibly important!!
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
    Woohooo on your shorter commute!!

    I agree about importance of sleep and weight loss. I don't know the science but my body is telling me. I spent years only getting 4-5 hours a night because I felt like sleeping was a waste of time and it took a long time to fall asleep. I consistently get 7-8 hours a night now. 7.5 seems to be my perfect number of hours to wake up feeling refreshed.

    Exercising regularly allows me to fall asleep within 20 minutes of laying down instead of 1+ hours. Feel foolish I resisted that for so many years. I thought I would have to do extreme exercise for hours to make a difference.

    I don't make nearly as many unwise food decisions when I am not exhausted all the time. Stress is easier to deal with too. I think I use my awake time more efficiently when rested consistently.
  • jld1975
    jld1975 Posts: 18 Member
    Getting enough sleep has changed my life. I don't think it is directly helping me lose weight. However, my weight problems in the past few years have been caused by getting serious injuries or illnesses and then gaining weight. I think those injuries and illnesses were caused/exacerbated by lack of sleep. I also seem to be having a bit less of the water weight fluctuations (although this is still a major issue for me), which is likely stress/cortisol related. I also feel better after exercise- I am not a person who gets any kind of endorphin high, but now I feel okay, rather than completely exhausted, after moderate exercise. It took several doctors telling me I needed to sleep more (7-8 hours/night) as well as some neurological scares to get me to really believe it.
  • jamie_0815
    jamie_0815 Posts: 44 Member
    Never even thought about how much sleep can be affecting my weight loss. I don't get much sleep. :| I work irregular hours. I start work at 1:30 and end my shift at midnight. I after I get home I walk the dogs, get my babies milk ready (She wakes up at night for milk). And make it to bed by maybe 1:30 or 2. Up again changing and feeding the little one at 5 then up for the day between 6:45 and 7. Thanks maybe that is one of my issues. I have to find ways to get more sleep.
  • Blackdawn_70631
    Blackdawn_70631 Posts: 283 Member
    jamie_0815 wrote: »
    Never even thought about how much sleep can be affecting my weight loss. I don't get much sleep. :| I work irregular hours. I start work at 1:30 and end my shift at midnight. I after I get home I walk the dogs, get my babies milk ready (She wakes up at night for milk). And make it to bed by maybe 1:30 or 2. Up again changing and feeding the little one at 5 then up for the day between 6:45 and 7. Thanks maybe that is one of my issues. I have to find ways to get more sleep.

    We all understand children and a job though. That alone is a lot to juggle, and trying to work "you time" in is even harder. If you can, try to start by wedging in an extra hour of sleep for starters. Again, if all possible.
  • Blackdawn_70631
    Blackdawn_70631 Posts: 283 Member
    susan100df wrote: »
    Woohooo on your shorter commute!!

    I agree about importance of sleep and weight loss. I don't know the science but my body is telling me. I spent years only getting 4-5 hours a night because I felt like sleeping was a waste of time and it took a long time to fall asleep. I consistently get 7-8 hours a night now. 7.5 seems to be my perfect number of hours to wake up feeling refreshed.

    Exercising regularly allows me to fall asleep within 20 minutes of laying down instead of 1+ hours. Feel foolish I resisted that for so many years. I thought I would have to do extreme exercise for hours to make a difference.

    I don't make nearly as many unwise food decisions when I am not exhausted all the time. Stress is easier to deal with too. I think I use my awake time more efficiently when rested consistently.

    I so agree!
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    I started working nights 7 months ago, 12 hr shifts 7pm-7am, its sucking the life out of me. My sleep is so screwed up and it really affects everything, even my mood. I'm currently looking for a day position :)
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    I definitely agree sleep is key. I just wish I was actually getting some. Average the last 3 nights is maybe 3 hours per night.
  • Blackdawn_70631
    Blackdawn_70631 Posts: 283 Member
    sarahthes wrote: »
    I definitely agree sleep is key. I just wish I was actually getting some. Average the last 3 nights is maybe 3 hours per night.

    Know how you're feeling. Been there.
  • Blackdawn_70631
    Blackdawn_70631 Posts: 283 Member
    stephanieluvspb wrote: »
    I started working nights 7 months ago, 12 hr shifts 7pm-7am, its sucking the life out of me. My sleep is so screwed up and it really affects everything, even my mood. I'm currently looking for a day position :)

    Hope you can get it. I asked for a transfer just so I could get more sleep myself.

  • mariam_mel
    mariam_mel Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks for opening this discussion and sharing your experience. For the last one month I have been eating really well with counting and no sugar but the weight hasn't been coming off at all. I don't sleep correctly and I am hoping that when I fix that the weight loss will resume.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    My sleep has been lousy during this latest "cut" phase. No problem falling asleep around 9:30 - 10:30 pm at night, but I wake up ready to go at 3 - 3:30 am. Doesn't seem to matter if I have wine or coffee or not. Or if I exercise or not. Or if I avoid the glowing screens (tv/computer/iPhone) or not. The past 3 evenings in a row, I skipped wine at dinner and still woke up in the 3-3:30 am time frame raring to go.

    I did manage to get 7 1/2 hours of sleep last night, but that only seems to happen once or twice per week. Maybe I will try and replicate yesterday's routine today to see if I can string two nights in a row of more than 7 hours. That would just about be a first for me during this weight loss phase I have been in since Christmas. I've never had this issue before, so I wonder if it is linked to the calorie deficit that's throwing my sleep pattern off.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited April 2016
    I don't sleep enough. Even when I was gaining weight/bulking, I should have slept more because I think my workouts and hypertrophy would have benefited. Now I'm back in a deficit and the lack of food (coming straight from a surplus) has gotten to me, coupled with not getting 8 hours per night-recipe for disaster. Not to mention, I have a harder time making wise food choices when I'm exhausted.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    SingingSingleTracker wrote: »
    My sleep has been lousy during this latest "cut" phase. No problem falling asleep around 9:30 - 10:30 pm at night, but I wake up ready to go at 3 - 3:30 am. Doesn't seem to matter if I have wine or coffee or not. Or if I exercise or not. Or if I avoid the glowing screens (tv/computer/iPhone) or not. The past 3 evenings in a row, I skipped wine at dinner and still woke up in the 3-3:30 am time frame raring to go.

    I did manage to get 7 1/2 hours of sleep last night, but that only seems to happen once or twice per week. Maybe I will try and replicate yesterday's routine today to see if I can string two nights in a row of more than 7 hours. That would just about be a first for me during this weight loss phase I have been in since Christmas. I've never had this issue before, so I wonder if it is linked to the calorie deficit that's throwing my sleep pattern off.

    If you figure this out do share. Because I could have written this, other than the wine.

    Tried cutting my afternoon coffee, tried a sleep aid a few times...meh. My wrist tracker says I woke up at 2:58 am last night and didn't stop moving enough for it to register as sleep after that. Don't feel particularly bad today though.

    Sometimes I am just awake and that is it, sometimes I cat nap again starting around 5 AM at a guess.
  • ald783
    ald783 Posts: 688 Member
    I eat much worse when I'm tired or sleep-deprived. So I don't think it's that my body struggles to take weight off when I'm not sleeping enough so much as I eat more and more unhealthily when I'm not getting enough sleep.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    ald783 wrote: »
    I eat much worse when I'm tired or sleep-deprived. So I don't think it's that my body struggles to take weight off when I'm not sleeping enough so much as I eat more and more unhealthily when I'm not getting enough sleep.

    Yes to this too. Went back to work post-partum and started gaining back some of the weight I lost after giving birth because I was snacking to try and avoid face planting on my desk.

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