How important is sleep?

How important is sleep to weight loss?

I really need to lose weigh. I recently started tracking calories here without trying to modify my eating habits (yet). I have even been weighing and measuring. I was curious since I don't feel like I eat enough to be as heavy as I am. So far I have been consistently under my calorie goal set by MFP to lose 2 pounds a week (sedentary).

I suffer from insomnia and other sleep issues. I have gained 60 pounds the past year (everything I had lost the year before and then some!). I am over 300 pounds now. I have been really struggling with my sleep problems and working with doctors to figure out something that will help. The doctor mentioned in passing that lack of sleep can be a factor in weight gain. I just wonder if I would be fighting a losing battle if I tried to lose weight now while I am still unable to get any quality sleep. I don't want to set myself up for failure.
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Replies

  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
    Anecdata: I lost quite a bit of my weight while severely sleep deprived with 2 children under 2.

    From what I recall, sleep deprivation hinders weight loss only insomuch as it can change hormones in charge of hunger and satiety, so it can make you want to eat more often and eat more than you need. I found, personally, that once I got strict with my intake, counting calories and weighing food, that I no longer relied on food to make me feel less tired. While I didn't feel less tired, I also didn't feel more tired : turns out my body/brain/hormones had been lying to me about how much I needed.
  • KareninLux
    KareninLux Posts: 1,413 Member
    edited February 2016
    Funny to see this thread this morning... slept terribly last night. Wondering what, if any, impact. For me (previously an insomniac) I think it plays a huge role... but my habits are being re-written through MFP so I think that even tho temptation will be sitting right on my (left?) shoulder today I should be fine!
  • rgbmore
    rgbmore Posts: 85 Member
    Anecdata: I lost quite a bit of my weight while severely sleep deprived with 2 children under 2.

    From what I recall, sleep deprivation hinders weight loss only insomuch as it can change hormones in charge of hunger and satiety, so it can make you want to eat more often and eat more than you need. I found, personally, that once I got strict with my intake, counting calories and weighing food, that I no longer relied on food to make me feel less tired. While I didn't feel less tired, I also didn't feel more tired : turns out my body/brain/hormones had been lying to me about how much I needed.

    I feel you, I have a special needs 3year old with a seizure disorder--I haven't had the recommended amount of sleep in years, either!

    I agree with how your body wants more fuel to compensate--but if you fight it, weight loss can still occur!
    On the other hand, lack of sleep can really screw you up when it comes to exercise--poor form fatigue, etc lead to injuries.

    Best of luck!!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    It is likely that it will slow you down by decreasing your calories out (both your non exercise calories and your exercise calories since you are operating in a non optimal fog.

    Lack of sleep may also impede recovery and increase the relative amount of lean mass you will eventually lose.

    However, all this won't stop your ability to effectively lose weight assuming you achieve a reasonable caloric deficit (say something that doesn't exceed 20% of your TDEE).
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    60 lbs in a single year is fairly significant. I hope your doctors are looking into a medical cause such as cushing's syndrome.

    As others have said, lack of sleep can make you feel a lot hungrier, which leads to eating more. Careful and honest logging should pinpoint your actual consumption for you and your physician to share. Careful logging is not pointless, however, as it is the only way you're going to get the upper hand on your weight.

    The only way to guarantee you'll fail is to not try.

    Your diary is closed. Are you measuring all your food? Weighing? Accounting for every bite?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,453 Member
    Sleep is important because we burn the most body fat AT REST and the most when sleeping. It's part of the reason you weigh less in the morning than from the night before.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    It's not just important for weight loss it's vitally important for muscle repair.

    I dont know about anyone else as well but sleep deprivation and sugar cravings go hand in hand
  • lindaloo1213
    lindaloo1213 Posts: 283 Member
    edited February 2016
    Ive lost 113# 287 down to 173 while working nights. Monday-friday I only sleep about 1 1/2-2 hours. Sometimes a 30 minute nap on my lunch break. It does make you extremely tired but if you just get up and move the energy comes naturally. Working out in the morning after drop off for school powers me through my day until I can nap (the only time I sleep is when my two year old naps)

    Also I noticed when I was working days I would keep telling myself and others "im tired" but in reality it was just a habit of saying it. I Wasnt in fact tired. I was just bored. Tell yourself positive things and it will motivate you to do better things for yourself.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    It's not the most important thing but I'd put it in the top 5.

    If for nothing more than your quality of life you should do what you can to increase quality and quantity.

    IMHO trying to lose weight whilst trying to cure/improve insomnia will be more difficult than for someone who has good sleep patterns but should not prohibit you from trying. And with exercise, a moderate weight loss calorie goal, and a focus on a good balance of quality food should help with the sleep rather than hinder your recovery in this area.
  • Sherriediva1
    Sherriediva1 Posts: 345 Member
    I wonder if I logged my weight everyday and compared that to my sleep stats from every night if I would see trend in my weight fluctuations? For instance I only got 5.5 hrs sleep last night and this morning my scale went up 1.2 lbs. Just a thought
  • Vortex88
    Vortex88 Posts: 60 Member
    Sleep is very important for many reasons which could impact weight loss/gain. Make it a priority to sleep better if you can - there are hundreds of articles online about how to reduce your chance of sleeping badly e.g. reduce caffeine, stop using "screens" (phones, TVs, computers) in the evening, exercise, get some sunlight during the day, try to relax more, etc.

    The question you might also ask is: did the poor sleep cause the weight gain or did the weight gain cause the poor sleep? Added bodyweight can cause all sorts of hormonal problems and it's likely that the two have contributed to each other so keep adhering to a calorie goal AND try to improve your sleep.

    Good luck.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Exercise can help with sleep. Maybe do some walking during the day.
    BTW, taking a hot shower just before bed can interfere with sleep for some people.
    Also if you have not done so already, make changes to your bedroom to practice good sleep hygiene:
    https://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene
    We have no electronics/ phones/ books and so on in our bed room: only two alarm clocks.
    We only use the bedroom for sleep.
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
    This thread got me thinking about my sleep pattern. When I was obese my sleep was always disrupted, I would wake up numerous times and find it difficult to get back to sleep and although I was in bed for 7/8 hours I was only getting about 3/4 hours sleep. My OH also complained about my snoring. The more weight I lost the better my nights sleep got. I've now just got into the healthy weight range and am getting a good 7/8 hours undisrupted kip and I don't snore any more.

    I would recommend the OP start her weight loss journey immediately.

  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    When I don't get enough sleep, I crave all sorts of junk/sugar the next day--my body trying to get energy.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Ive lost 113# 287 down to 173 while working nights. Monday-friday I only sleep about 1 1/2-2 hours. Sometimes a 30 minute nap on my lunch break. It does make you extremely tired but if you just get up and move the energy comes naturally. Working out in the morning after drop off for school powers me through my day until I can nap (the only time I sleep is when my two year old naps)

    Also I noticed when I was working days I would keep telling myself and others "im tired" but in reality it was just a habit of saying it. I Wasnt in fact tired. I was just bored. Tell yourself positive things and it will motivate you to do better things for yourself.
    I don't know how you do it. When I get less than 4 hours of sleep I get incredibly grouchy. As in, I could have been the lady screaming at the grocery clerk over a price increase and then attacking store security with a pen (I wasn't but could have been).

    I consider sleep very important for my emotional and mental health, therefore important to my physical as well. 6-7 hours most nights and an extra 3-5 on weekends.
  • ispymo
    ispymo Posts: 12 Member
    I'm very interested in this thread. As someone who has had trouble sleeping since the days of univeristy (I work SO much better at night when there's nothing to distract me that if it weren't for lectures/shops/seeing people who weren't nocturnal I probably would have developed the sleeping habits of a hamster) I've now realised this is when the weight gain started.

    I am having major issues at the moment as I cannot sleep in silence at all. I had mice for a year and since then if I'm in silence I begin to work myself up to hear things, and I convinced myself if mice could hear my TV programmes they wouldn't come in (I know, it's not right but it's stuck). All the sleep advice says to sleep in silence with no TV/computers etc but I just can't do that.

    It's not that I find myself over indulging particularly when I'm tired (I'm working on it) I find my exercise is suffering. I was getting to the point where I was beginning to get better and better at spinning but now I feel like I've fallen flat on my face and struggle so much at every class to find any motivation or willpower :(

    So yeah, I think it depends on how you deal with it and you need to learn a way around it. Good luck!
  • Lydilod
    Lydilod Posts: 135 Member
    I've got the opposite problem at the moment got to sleep last night at about 11.30pm and had to literally drag myself out of bed this morning at 11am, I usually need about 9hours to function properly but nearly 12hours! I feel really lazy. Not sure if its got something to do with the amount of exercise I do versus the calories I eat. Any ideas anyone
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    #1 Calorie adherance
    #2 Training
    #3 Fiber
    #4 Sleep
    #5 Macros

    imo.gif
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited February 2016
    It can cause weight gain due to increase in appetite due to changes in the levels of ghrelin and leptin but the evidence is far from conclusive. Some people who are insomniacs might eat less due to stress and some more. It's possible it causes a slight downshift in BMR as well but I'm not sure there is anything conclusive in any of the reasearch as of yet.

    Likely, the biggest issue is that you are more fatigued and will not feel like moving much (lower NEAT) or exercising (Lower EAT).
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    #1 Calorie adherance
    #2 Training
    #3 Fiber
    #4 Sleep
    #5 Macros

    imo.gif

    Can't argue with the contents of that list. I'd place them in a diff order but I think that after the first two, Cals and Training, the effect is diminishing to the low percentages.

    True to say, IMHO, get those 5 right most of the time and you're on to a winning formula.