Your typical weight loss checklist:
Eat right … check!
Exercise … check!
But there’s another factor just as important. And if you are like two out of three Americans, you aren’t paying attention to this key activity.
And this is despite the fact that study after study says that doing this is crucial for losing weight.
What is this critical weight loss component?
I’ll tell you in a few … but first, let’s take a look at the research.
Knowing Your Body Isn’t Rocket Science, But It Is Science
In a new study done at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers split 225 healthy individuals into two groups and put them in a lab for 18 days.
Group # 1 spent only four hours per day doing this
Group # 2 spent 10 hours per day doing this
What was the difference between the two groups?
The amount of sleep they were allowed to get.
Group #1 spent only four hours a day in bed. And those hours were between 4:00 am and 8:00 am. Contrast this with Group #2, who were in bed for 10 hours each night from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
And here’s something really interesting:
The sleep-deprived group ate about 100 calories less, on average, during the daytime hours. But they overate like crazy through those extra late night hours… consuming, on average, over 550 extra calories.
This wasn’t the first study to find that staying up until the wee hours can expand your waistline. A study done at Northwestern University found that people who go to bed late eat more food (on average 248 more calories per day), have worse diets and are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI).
And here’s another study showing the waist expanding effects of too little sleep:
Researchers followed 43 adults who were short sleepers—sleeping no more than six hours per night—over a six-year period. Compared to the short sleepers, those who increased their sleep duration to a healthier seven- to eight-hour period gained significantly less weight and body fat over the six-year follow-up period.
And you don’t have to put in months of good sleep to see the results.
Only a few weeks of sufficient sleep can boost your dieting efforts. In one study, researchers assigned 10 overweight adults to follow a reduced-calorie diet during two, 14-day sessions:
One with adequate sleep (8.5 hours); the other with less sleep (5.5 hours). While the subjects lost the same amount of total weight during both sessions (about 6 lbs), when sleep was adequate, they lost more body fat, preserved more lean mass and torched about 100 more calories per day.
Why Staying Up Keeps You Fat
Blame it on your biology: Sleep deprivation not only increases the level of ghrelin (a gut hormone that promotes hunger), but also lowers the level of leptin (a fat cell hormone that promotes satiety).
Research has proved it.
In one large population study involving over 1,000 volunteers, short sleep duration was a significant predictor of low blood leptin AND high blood ghrelin. In fact, the researchers estimated that, compared to those who slept for eight hours, those who slept for only five hours had a 15 percent lower blood leptin and 15 percent higher blood ghrelin, independent of BMI.
Not only is sleep deprivation causing your hunger hormones to go haywire, there may be some environmental factors at play as well. When you’re tired, those chocolate-covered pretzels calling your name from the cupboard are tougher to resist.
How To Ensure Proper Zzzs
Don’t let sleep deprivation derail your dieting efforts. Here are some tips to make sure you sleep smart:
Tip #1: Prime your bedroom for sleep.
A comfortable night’s sleep requires three essentials: a cool temperature, (between 60 and 68 degrees is ideal), dark room and minimal noise.
Tip #2: Make it a habit.
Go to bed at about the same time every night, and wake up at about the same time every morning, even on weekends and vacations. I know it’s tempting to sleep in on a Saturday, but the body thrives on routine.
Tip #3: Exercise, but not too late.
Exercise and light physical activity during the day can help promote restful sleep. But be sure you finish at least a few hours before bed. It’s why we advocate early-in-the-day appointment workouts at Genesis Personal Fitness and NOT the “whenever I can fit it in” approach.
Tip #4: Take a hot shower or bath about an hour before bed.
You’ll raise your core body temperature and as you cool off, your body will get the signal that it’s time to sleep.
Tip #5: Avoid caffeine after 3:00 PM in the afternoon.
Its stimulating effects can last for several hours. Keep in mind, coffee and soda aren’t the only things that have caffeine. Certain pain relievers, weight loss pills, diuretics and cough and cold medicines can have just as much or even more caffeine than a cup of joe.
Tip #6: Keep your electronics out of the bedroom.
The blue wavelengths your gadgets produce significantly suppress the production of melatonin according to a study done at the Center for Chronobiology at the University of Basel. Shut down an hour before bed.
Rich Farina, M.S. is a Metabolic Health and Conditioning Specialist with over 30 years of experience helping thousands of individuals lose weight, rebuild their metabolisms, and improve their health in his Metabolic Testing & Weight Loss Centers.
He holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Exercise Physiology and Public Health respectively and is a passionate advocate of using proven, scientific principles in his approach to exercise and nutrition.
He is a contributing author, professional speaker, and advisor on topics that include weight loss, human performance, and medical fitness.
He continues his deep-seated passion to help people improve their health and longevity through his own line of premium, all-natural nutritional supplements called Truthentics™. The Truthentics™ brand of nutritional supplements is specifically designed to help people compensate for nutritional deficiencies and bring their bodies back into balance.
