Sleep and weight loss

lgfrie
lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
edited December 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Being an erratic sleeper with a lifetime history of insomnia since childhood, I have always been interested in the effect of sleep (or lack thereof) on various health issues. Recently, as I've dived into dieting forums, I've discovered a plethora of comments to the effect that sleep has a huge impact on weight loss.

I wonder if anyone can venture some thoughts on the following questions:

- How and why does sleep impact weight loss?

- If weight loss is truly just based on CICO, then how can a non-CICO variable like # of hours of sleep impact weight loss? The thesis of CICO is that there is an energy expenditure process that is basically unaffected by things such as eating schedule, macros, carbs, keto, fasting, etc. Why is sleep an outlier within the broader theory that the only thing that matters is how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn?


PS It's 5:01 a.m. and I'm on the MFP forum - hence my interest in these questions :/

Replies

  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
    Anecdotal evidence based on just me shows that I gain fluid if I have lack of REM sleep consistently over a few nights. I exercise will power but if I didn’t I would also give into the sugar and simple carb cravings I have during the days after the lack of good sleep as well
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Lack of sleep often leads me to overeat in a vain attempt to perk up and feel better. Insufficient sleep also probably affects hormone levels.

    Me too and it's usually something crunchy like chips that I choose to try and wake up or something sweet to try and get a sugar rush
  • darklyndsea
    darklyndsea Posts: 56 Member
    I think the thing about sleep is that if you don't get enough quality sleep, your body doesn't function as well. That includes things like it's harder for you to make good food choices (because your brain's not in good shape), water retention for longer periods because your body takes longer to heal, general morale problems (when you're grumpy from lack of sleep, that random uptick on the scale hits harder), and probably more things I'm unaware of, and others that nobody's aware of. Sleep also seems to be when everything gets regulated--levels of cortisol and other hormones, neurotransmitters, etc., which are proven to play a part in weight loss but are (mostly) unable to be directly controlled.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited July 2019
    I was interested in this topic as well, so I conducted a test on myself.

    I weighed before bed and in the morning. On the nights I slept well, the scale would be down about 2 lbs. On the nights I didn't sleep well, the scale might be down a half lb or so. Keep in my mind, on the sleepless nights, I'd get up to pee at least once.

    I don't get anything to eat when I'm up during the night.

    Don't know the science behind it. Just know there's validity to it.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    For me when I don't sleep I don't workout as much or as hard, and my NEAT isn't as high. However, I do drink more coffee and have less appetite overall, so it actually evens out.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    edited July 2019
    Sleep affects the hormones that regulate appetite, leptin (satiety) and ghrelin (appetite). Sleep deprivation is thought to suppress leptin & increase ghrelin. Here's a good non jargony discussion https://www.precisionnutrition.com/leptin-ghrelin-weight-loss

  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    If I don’t sleep well, I’m sluggish the next day. I notice it in my workout. I would hypothesize that my CO goes down when I feel tired, since I may not be moving as much. I might not be able to put as much effort into exercise, and/or my NEAT may be lower if I don’t have the energy to stand for as long, fidget, all those other movements I’m not always conscious of.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    lgfrie wrote: »
    Being an erratic sleeper with a lifetime history of insomnia since childhood, I have always been interested in the effect of sleep (or lack thereof) on various health issues. Recently, as I've dived into dieting forums, I've discovered a plethora of comments to the effect that sleep has a huge impact on weight loss.

    I wonder if anyone can venture some thoughts on the following questions:

    - How and why does sleep impact weight loss?

    - If weight loss is truly just based on CICO, then how can a non-CICO variable like # of hours of sleep impact weight loss? The thesis of CICO is that there is an energy expenditure process that is basically unaffected by things such as eating schedule, macros, carbs, keto, fasting, etc. Why is sleep an outlier within the broader theory that the only thing that matters is how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn?


    PS It's 5:01 a.m. and I'm on the MFP forum - hence my interest in these questions :/

    At the very least, lack of sleep logically causes two problems that can affect weight loss:
    1. Lack of energy. If I have less energy, I sub-consciously move less throughout the day, decreasing my NEAT, so decreasing CO. I am also more likely to decide to skip exercise or at least put less effort into my workout, so decreasing TDEE and further decreasing CO.
    2. Will power and decision making require energy. The combination of needing more energy and being less able to resist temptation often leads to increased snacking, sugar cravings, and more calorific decisions in meals, increasing CI.

    I've also read, though I have no idea where so take that as you will, that sleep plays a role in balancing appetite and satiation hormones. So possibly lack of sleep can lead to appetite issues.

    All of this keeps sleep affecting weight loss well within CICO :smiley:
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    I usually sleep pretty well, but last night was super hot and with a number of thunderstorms resulting in a really bad nights sleep.

    I’ve been having no problems sticking to my calorie goal for weeks and weeks on end, actively enjoying my meals and feeling in control, but today I’m struggling! I can’t stop thinking about Doritos or some of the lemon cookies I made last weekend for visitors!


    I’m not going to give in but until tomorrow when I’ve slept better, it’s going to take some immense willpower!

    Totally agree that for a large part it’s down to the body feeling sub par and sending distress signals to the brain to eat to boost energy.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Sleep cycle affects many hormones, some of which regulate body weight and metabolism:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC535701/
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    edited July 2019
    OP here. Thanks for all the responses, this has been informative and interesting.
    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    I was interested in this topic as well, so I conducted a test on myself.

    I weighed before bed and in the morning. On the nights I slept well, the scale would be down about 2 lbs. On the nights I didn't sleep well, the scale might be down a half lb or so. Keep in my mind, on the sleepless nights, I'd get up to pee at least once.

    I don't get anything to eat when I'm up during the night.

    Don't know the science behind it. Just know there's validity to it.

    This has been exactly my experience. On rare nights when I get a full, basically uninterrupted 7-ish hours of sleep, I lose anywhere from 1.2 - 2.4 lbs on the scale, after a good, long pee in the morning that I only get if I got good sleep. One restless nights that are more typical for me, I can lose anywhere from nothing to 0.6. It's really very consistent in that regard. And hard to explain. Though it's definitely for real, because I have observed this dozens of times.

  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    For me, being tired makes me hungry. Might be some form of needing to gain the energy from food that I didn't receive from sleep. Being tired also makes me less active due to fatigue, so I do less and therefore drop my TDEE for the day that otherwise would have been higher had I not been tired.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I have noticed that poor sleep nights can cause a water weight fluctuation uptick on my bathroom scale which might explain why some people think it is a direct cause.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories