Quality sleep is essential to our overall wellbeing; it’s as essential to survival as food and water and could also have a long-term effect on weight-loss.

Sleep is integral to our circadian rhythm, which is made up of over 100 internal biological clocks synchronised with environmental cues (such as light and temperature) and typically coincides with the sun’s cycle, which causes you to be sleepy at night and awake and energetic in the morning. However inadequate sleep has been shown to lead to low energy and fatigue during the day, which can lead to overeating and weight gain.

According to a report published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare1, getting too much or too little sleep could also be associated with an increased risk of several conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke. Another report, published by the Harvard School of Public Health2, reported that the average duration of sleep during childhood may have a long-term effect on weight, even well into adulthood. According to the report, researchers in New Zealand followed 1,037 children from birth until age 32, collecting information from parents on the average number of hours their children slept at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11. Each one-hour reduction in sleep during childhood was associated with a 50 percent higher risk of obesity at age 32.

 

Did You Know

Adults who are obese are at greater risk of short sleep and lower sleep quality than those with a normal BMI1.

Short sleep = Less than 6 hours for adults aged 18–64 and less than 5 hours for adults aged 65 and over.

 

So, How Does the Amount of Sleep we Get Affect Body Weight?

Inadequate sleep can lead to shifts in levels of some of the body’s hunger hormones. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells, and one of its jobs is to send a signal to your brain to tell you that you’re full. The problem is, when you don’t get enough sleep, your leptin levels plummet, so a lack of sleep can increase hunger. If that weren’t enough, sleep deprivation also leads to a boost in an appetite-stimulating hormone called ghrelin. This explains why sleep-deprived people tend to snack more, seeking out midnight snacks and highly palatable foods high in fat and sugar, in an attempt to keep energy levels up. Similarly, the more hours you are awake, the more time you have to spend eating.

Getting adequate and uninterrupted sleep is an important tool in weight control, so try to keep dinner on the light side since large, fatty, or heavy meals take a long time to digest. Instead, focus on healthy carbs like salad and veggies, fruits and whole grains and pick up some lean protein from beans, lentils, tofu, or a small portion of grilled fish or poultry – a bowl of lentil soup with a salad or a tofu and veggie stir-fry with some fruit for dessert would fill the bill.

 

 

Snacking before bed?

There are a couple of good reasons not to eat right before you go to bed:

Your bedtime snacking might be taking you over your daily calorie budget. Unless your snack is small, light, and easy to digest, lying down soon after you eat a sizeable snack is a recipe for heartburn – and possibly a disrupted night’s sleep.

 

That said, if you eat an early dinner and tend to stay up quite late, you could get a bit hungry before bed. As long as you have calories to spare, a small, light snack a couple of hours before you go to sleep might make sense. Try to include foods that are high in calcium, which helps muscles to relax. A cup of warm milk is an age-old remedy for sleeplessness.

 

Foods that can impact sleep

 What you eat and also when you eat can have a big impact on the quality and length of your sleep. Here are a few tips on what to eat, and avoid, for a good night’s sleep:

 

1.    Keep your meals moderate. Going to bed with a very full stomach can be uncomfortable and even lead to indigestion – a sleep buster, for sure. On the other hand, if your dinner meal is too skimpy, you might be wakened by hunger pangs.

 

2.    Don’t overdo the fats and proteins at dinner. Fatty meals take a long time to digest, and protein foods stimulate the production of chemicals in your brain that help you feel more alert. But low-fat meals are digested more quickly, and healthy carbohydrates help stimulate the production of different brain chemicals – the ones that help you relax and get to sleep. Rather than making protein the centrepiece of your evening meal, focus on healthy carbs – veggies, fruits, whole grains, and beans – with a small serving of protein.

 

3.    Omega-3s may help you sleep. Omega-3 fatty acids – found in fish, nuts, and seeds – assist in regulating the body’s internal clock, in part through effects on the release of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep cycle.

 

4.    Watch your intake of caffeine and alcohol. If you’re a regular caffeine drinker, you may be able to fall asleep just fine – even if you have a cup of coffee after dinner. But caffeine – and alcohol, too – can disrupt normal sleep patterns. You may be able to fall asleep, but you don’t stay asleep. And that makes it harder to reach the deepest (and most restful) stage of sleep.

 

5.    Don’t overdo the fluids in the evening. If a full bladder is what’s interfering with a good night’s sleep, try to curb your fluid intake after dinner. Aim to drink more of your liquids during the day, rather than trying to “catch up” at night.

 

Tips to Getting Better Sleep

·       Set a consistent bedtime and time to wake up

·       Avoid daytime naps

·       Exercise during the day

·       No technology in the bedroom at night

·       Try breathing techniques that can assist with relaxation

·       Try a calming herbal tea

·       Use the bed only for sleep; this will condition the mind to associate the bed with sleep.