Going without sleep will cause you to eat more. When you don’t get an adequate amount of rest, your body will attempt to fill that energy void with foods–and it’s not picky about what kind they are. In fact, if you’re chronically sleep-deprived, you may find that you’re even more likely to reach for sweets and carbs, since your body will crave them for a quick energy fix. Lack of sleep also has a negative impact on your frontal lobe, where your decision-making skills are controlled–which means that you might struggle to make the “right” food decision even when you know eating that big piece of cake after skipping the gym isn’t the smartest choice you could make.
Sleep deprivation makes it harder to get it in gear and focus on fitness. One of the critical steps in getting fit is making sure you get enough exercise. Unfortunately, when you don’t sleep enough, you’ll feel sluggish and slow. Even if you make it to the gym, it’ll be hard to push through to your maximum performance. Worse, when you do get moving, you’ll be more likely to injure yourself due to fuzzy focus and poor concentration.
Poor sleep leads to an increase in fat and a decrease in muscle. If you’re trying desperately to shape up but are watching the pounds continue to pile up instead, your poor sleep habits could be to blame. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body will burn muscle instead of fat even as increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol make you pack on the pounds in problem areas like your rear and belly.
You won’t heal as quickly if you aren’t sleeping well. You made yourself go to the gym in spite of the fact that you’ve been short on sleep lately, resulting in an injury. If you continue to go without sleep, that injury won’t heal as quickly or as well as if you were to get a full night’s sleep every night. During sleep, you make more growth hormones than when you’re awake, and those hormones are responsible for healing, muscle building, and an increased metabolism.
If you’ve been struggling to lose weight and get in shape in spite of changes in your diet and exercise routine, your poor sleep habits could be to blame! Instead of burning the candle at both ends, look for ways to get in bed earlier. Prepare everything that you’ll need for the day the night before so that you can get a little bit more sleep in the morning. Make sleep just as much a priority as your eating and exercise habits to see a substantial change in your fitness goals.
If you struggle to fall asleep, drink an herbal tea before bed, limit exposure to bright screens from your phone, television, and computer for at least an hour before you’re ready to turn out the lights, and practice meditation techniques to help stop your brain from spinning. Even better, contact us to schedule an appointment for a massage, which will significantly decrease your tension levels and help you settle down for a good night’s sleep. If you really want to see results from your new fitness regime, sleep could be the most important component of all.
