The 3 Big Reasons Your Sleep Can Be Causing Weight Gain

Many of us try to burn the candle from both ends, don’t we? We’re busy all the time and don’t make rest and sleep a priority. Little did you know, this may be contributing to weight gain!

Do you wish there were 25 hours in a day so that you could fit that one hour work out in? I mean, where would you it fit now??

If you’re already busy and can’t find time to do the things you need to, why should you make sleeping a priority? Where will you find the time to sleep 7-9 hours a night!!

Poor sleep can be making you gain weight

Yes, that is right! Studies suggest that due to a combination of effects on your metabolism, lifestyle, and hormones, not getting enough sleep can contribute to weight gain of about 1 lb per week! Now, that might not sound like much, but think: has your weight been creeping up gradually? Might a lack of sleep, or poor quality sleep be contributing?

Think about it, if sleeping a bit extra could help you prevent 1 pound per week of weight gain…. might that be a reason to prioritize it?! I know I’d personally rather prioritize sleep if it would help me with my weight as opposed to sleeping LESS to try to fit in a work out.

There are many reasons that poor sleep causes weight gain and they fall into 3 main categories—hormonal, metabolic, and lifestyle.

When you do not get enough sleep, some key hormones that regulate appetite are knocked out of balance. You will have less of the “I feel full” hormone (leptin) and more of the “I am hungry” hormone (ghrelin, which I call the hunger gremlin). Not only that, but your cortisol level, which is a stress hormone, will increase, telling your body to hold on to your weight! This is NOT a great combination for your waistline.

A lack of sleep causes your baseline metabolism to go down, which means that your body is not as efficient with processing the calories you bring in, which leads to weight gain. This is magnified if you work third shift or don’t fall asleep until very late at night, which affects your circadian rhythm.

I’m betting that if you stay up late you probably have a tendency towards late night snacking (I know I do)! I don’t know about you, but by the late night all my daytime willpower is gone, and my late night snacks are never very nutritious. Snacking late at night a few times a week can have a big impact on weight. 

Lastly, when you are running low on sleep, how can you be expected to find the energy to exercise? If you are not getting enough sleep, you likely are not being as active as you’d otherwise be if you were getting enough sleep. It is no secret that a lack of movement may lead to weight gain. (Want to learn more about building more movement into your everyday life? Click here).

The good news is that your sleep doesn’t have to be bad! I’ve written an entire article full of tips to get better sleep!!

I’ve also added some products that I recommend for sleep to my toolbox, so make sure to check that out too!

I hope you found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions about this article, or about medical weight loss, please feel free to reach out! Also, make sure not to miss any of my helpful tips by dropping your email address here!