We often discuss eating healthily and being active but in fact the most important aspect to support healthy eating and being active is SLEEP.
It is recommended that as adults we should sleep between seven and nine hours a night. Research results show that sleeping less than the recommended is linked to having greater body fat, increased risk of obesity, along with risk of heart disease, depression and stroke.
Healthy eating and sleep are basal for our complete health and well-being and are interlinked. Eating healthily can influence the quality of your sleep, and certain foods and drinks can either support or hinder your sleep. However getting enough sleep is related to enabling us to make healthier food choices and linked to maintaining a healthier body weight and losing weight.
Acknowledging this relationship between sleep and healthy eating creates opportunities to develop both in order to eat smarter, sleep better and live a healthier life.
Lack of sleep notably increase our hunger, food cravings, portion control, and binging. This is caused by the lack of sleep, the body makes more Ghrelin (Hunger Hormone) and less Leptin (Satiety Hormone) leaving you hungry and intensifies your appetite.
Increasing your sleep to within the recommended guidelines will enable you to;
Make better food choices
Prevent late-night snacking
Help moderate your appetite
Support your metabolism of food. (Your body burns calories when at rest)
Enhances activity
How to fall asleep and improve your sleep
Create a daily routine which includes a wind down, turning of screens, blue lights, maybe do gentle stretches, reading, meditation
Manage your thoughts, by setting them aside, write them all down for you to address tomorrow, this helps to put your mind at rest.
Prepare your body for sleep. An hour or two before your bedtime stop your caffeine, alcohol, nicotine or eating intake. In the day find time to be active.
Create a relaxing space. Remove all blue lights from your sleeping space, keep clocks out of view and keep the room ventilated. If required wear earplugs or play ambient sounds or white noise to help.
Reassuring words/phases. Instead of saying I can't sleep, saying I'll be a sleep in 10 minutes.
By not sleeping enough can sabotage your weight loss efforts, and can lead to poorer food choices, increased hunger and calorie intake, decreased activity and ultimately weight gain.
Sleeping within the guidelines can be the difference in supporting you to reach your weight loss goals.
Resources;
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/getting-enough-quality-sleep-may-be-the-key-to-weight-loss