Most adults get about four to six hours of sleep every night. Sound about right? I’m sure seven hours would feel like sleeping in for most of you, but research shows that getting less than seven hours of sleep each night can be costly to your health. Leading to:

• Obesity
• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease

Think about it, when you’re feeling tired at work, what do you do? Grab for those few extra cups of coffee, or reach for that soda for extra energy? And you probably skip the gym that afternoon because you’re not feeling up for it. More snacks, less exercise.

Lack of sleep will only make you hungrier and will slow down your metabolism. It’s actually pretty simple:

1. Your body needs more food for more energy.
2. You don’t make the best choices when you’re tired.
3. The longer you’re awake, the more you’ll eat.

The real connection between lack of sleep and weight gain has to do with your hormones. The hormone in your brain that tells you when to eat is higher when your body is sleep-deprived, while the hormone that tells you when to stop eating is lower. People who don’t get enough sleep eat about 300 more calories that those who do!

So what will more sleep do for your body?

Sleep is the time your body has to rest and heal from your busy days. Not only can it help you control your weight, but it is also great for your immune system, memory, metabolism, and more. So depriving your body of sleep also hurts all of those.

Tips for getting a better night’s sleep:

• Don’t take longer than a 20-minute power nap.
• No caffeine in the afternoon.
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods.
• Try yoga before bed.
• Read before falling asleep instead of being on your phone/computer.

So if you’re working towards that weight loss goal, sleep it off!

Stay tuned for our weekly weight loss tips and let us know if you have Questions on how we can help with your weight loss journey in Springfield.