Healthy Sleep and Weight Loss

Sleep and Weight Loss – Very Much Related

Quality of sleep and weight loss are very much related. Sleep affects much of the way we function throughout the day. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or if your sleep is frequently disrupted, you may find yourself suffering from symptoms like:

Daytime fatigue
Irritability
“Brain fog,” such as lowered alertness and memory impairment
Depression
A weakened immune system

These effects on your health can impede on your weight loss efforts during your medical weight loss program in Charlotte. By getting a full night of quality sleep, you can improve those symptoms and keep your weight loss goals on track.

How Much Sleep Do I Need?

Sleep experts suggest that adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night to function optimally throughout the day. However, the amount of sleep a person needs may increase if he or she has been deprived of sleep recently. Quality of sleep and weight loss success are very much dependent.

Tips for Improving Your Sleeping Habits

Create and maintain a sleep schedule, even on weekends. Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule will reinforce your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
Limit napping throughout the day. If you nap for too long during the day, you may have trouble falling asleep at night. If you find that you can’t get through your day without a nap, try to limit yourself to a thirty minute nap in the early afternoon.
Don’t eat, drink or exercise when it’s close to bedtime. Try to eat at least a few hours before bed so that your body has time to digest. Drinking alcohol before bed is also not recommended. While regular exercise can actually promote better sleep, it’s important not to exercise too close to when you want to go to bed, as exercise can energize your body right after the fact.
Form a healthy sleeping environment. If your bed isn’t comfortable, it might be hard for you to get a good night’s rest. Try finding comfortable pillows and soft bed sheets. As well, try to get your bedroom as distraction-free as you can. That means keeping the TV off when it’s time for bed, and leaving your laptop in the other room.
Manage stress. Being stressed out can affect your sleeping efforts. If you have a lot on your mind, you may stay up at night, tossing and turning. By learning how to manage your stress, you can prevent it from affecting your sleep. Stress management techniques include: yoga, breathing exercises, listening to relaxing music and taking a warm bath. Try implementing some of these into a pre-bed routine. That way, you’ll be the least stressed right before you go to sleep.

As you continue your medical weight loss program, it’s important to keep healthy lifestyle habits in mind. By forming these health-conscious behaviors, such as getting a good night’s sleep, you’ll not only improve your overall wellness, but you’ll bolster your weight loss efforts and feel happier and healthier in the long-run.

Healthy Sleep and Weight Loss