Is lack of sleep undermining the way you eat?
Sleep – how much you have and the quality of it – matters even more than you probably realise, and not getting enough may be contributing to your eating behaviours.
When working with my clients who battle with bingeing, emotional eating and yo-yo dieting, we need to address the many different aspects that contribute to their challenges. Sleep is one of the pieces of the puzzle. If you are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, you are setting yourself up to be hungrier, eat more, and have a harder time with your weight.
Sadly, many of us are sleep deprived. Scientists now know that, if you are consistently surviving on too little sleep (that’s less than seven and a half hours of good quality sleep per night), you’re not going to be functioning at your best, focusing properly or thinking creatively. The cherry on top is that you may also be sabotaging any attempts to feel in control of your eating.
Sleep deprivation causes an imbalance with the hormones that directly affect your feelings of hunger. Ghrelin (the hunger hormone that makes you feel more hungry) and leptin (the satiety hormone that tells you when you’ve had enough to eat) are severely disrupted when you are not sleeping enough.
So, after a night of lousy sleep, if the only thing you fancy is a full out sugar and refined carb fest, it may well be your hormones making the battle that bit harder.
TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
There are a number of things you can do (or not do) to improve your chances of sleeping well.
DO
Try to go to bed at the same time every day. Your body thrives on routine.
Keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortable; not too hot, nor too cold.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex. This may help you completely switch off.
Keep the bedroom completely dark, so you’re not disturbed by light, which your brain detects even when your eyes are closed. Eye masks can be useful.
Spend time outdoors to soak up the sun when you can.
Take some gentle exercise every day. There is evidence that regular exercise improves restful sleep. This includes stretching and aerobic exercise. A brisk walk ticks both boxes.
Make an effort to relax for at least 5 minutes before going to bed - a warm bath, massage, meditation.
Keep your feet and hands warm. Wear warm socks and/or mittens or gloves to bed if you struggle with cold extremities.
Consider getting a traditional alarm clock so your smartphone can stay out of the bedroom (see below). Better still, work out how much sleep you need by going to bed 15 minutes earlier until you find that you wake up naturally before your alarm. That’s your personal sleep requirement.
DON’T
Engage in stimulating activities – like playing a competitive game, watching an edge-of-the-seat film, or having an important conversation with a loved one. Even using smartphones and tablets can interfere with sleep, because they emit the same kind of light as the morning sun.
Eat a heavy meal within four hours of going to bed.
Drink caffeine in the afternoon – including coffee, ‘normal’ and green tea, and colas.
Use alcohol to help you sleep. Alcohol is a stimulant and can disturb your sleep during the night.
Go to bed too hungry. Have a snack before bed – a glass of milk or banana are ideal.
Try to avoid daytime naps.
Try not to get frustrated if you can’t sleep. Go to bed in a positive mood – “I will sleep tonight”.
You will almost certainly have read some of these tips before. Just knowing the information is not going to give you the restful night’s sleep you are looking for. The only thing that counts is action. If you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that lack of sleep is at the root of not getting organised enough to plan your meals ahead of time (which may result in your feeling forced to grab a coffee and croissant on the way to work), has you craving sugary snacks you wouldn’t otherwise eat and feeling like a shadow of your normal self, I invite you to put getting more and/or better sleep at the top of your to-do list this week to see what a difference it can make.
You might have a whole list of things on your list already this week but focusing on this ONE thing might be what you need to see a real shift in everything else.