Posted on 17 Aug 2017 Views 5037 Comments 37

Are you getting enough sleep to lose weight?

It is known that too little sleep could possibly lead to weight gain because it alters the hormones in your body that regulate hunger and this can lead to overeating. You may not take much time to think about your sleeping patterns but it’s so important to make sure that your getting plenty of rest.

Did you know that every single person needs a different duration of sleep? It’s quite individual and can range from 5-6 hours for some to massive 10-11 hours for others! This usually depends on your age. Usually the older you are, the less you need to sleep. In most healthy adults you need between 7 to 9 hours per night in order to function at your best.

You may even experience signs that your not getting enough sleep some factors are:

You always feel as though you want to take a cat-nap
Your memory isn’t as sharp as what it usually is and your quite forgetful
You might even be feeling a little stressed out and anxious
Yes, there is such a thing called ‘Beauty Sleep’. Studies have shown that not enough sleep can effect your skin elasticity
You might become a little cranky and tend to feel more aggravated.

All these are sure signs that you need that little bit more sleep.

It's worth taking the time to figure out what you can do to gain a more adequate sleep cycle. Why not try winding down a little more by having a nice warm bath and reading one of your favourite novels before bedtime. If that’s not your thing you could just try having a nice warm drink like Chamomile tea to help you relax before your slumber.

It's clear that sleep loss really does add a significant risk to your health and to your weight. So make sure your getting your forty winks!

How do you gauge how much sleep you need, and do you manage to get it? Post your comments below and you might be the lucky winner of our exclusive Bluetooth Digital Scales!. We will pick our favourite comment on Monday 21st August 2017 at 4pm.

By Katrina Moffat, General Manager

Win these fantastic Bluetooth Scales - Log your weight on your phone!

Comments on Are you getting enough sleep to lose weight?

Sue Parnwell 21/08/2017 17:39

Sleep? What's that?? I care for my mum who has Parkinson's and Dementia, she has me up during the night between 2-6 times.
I do manage to sleep inbetween and have naps during the day when she is resting.
Lack of sleep and broken sleep is tough, but it's my mum and no-one can care for her the way I can.
I have a Fitbit HR 2 so I can keep an eye on how much sleep I'm getting as I know how important it is.

Dily Northey 21/08/2017 14:31

Cup of lovely Sleepytime Tea from Pukka, meditation for 15 minutes and off to sleep I go, usually from 10pm - 6am when I wake up for the gym

Charlotte Hancock 21/08/2017 13:10

7 hours does me always feel refreshed

Anita Ui Bhroin 21/08/2017 09:20

I love and need 7-8 hours sleep at night, however this rarely happens. My two year old has taken to waking up a few times during the night again and while she settles quickly, it takes me a good while to fall back asleep. Not only does she wake up a few times but she is also an early riser unlike my son who would sleep all day if we let him. All of the signs of not getting enough sleep ring true especially feeling like I could cat nap and being cranky. I try to get to bed early enough and have restricted himself to turning the TV off at 10 in the bedroom because I find I struggle to sleep when it is on

Julie Spencer 20/08/2017 17:28

Since my daughter was a baby (16 years ago!!) I got into the habit of staying up late into the early hours of the morning and so rarely get more than 5 hours a night sleep but do like a lie-in at weekends when I catch up. I really struggle to get off to sleep but then usually I'm out for the count until about 6am when it's time to get up for work. I do find however when doing SnS that I think more about what I'm doing and do try to get to bed for 11pm, I don't always get off to sleep straight away but after a few weeks I do tend to get about 7 hours a night which makes me feel better.

Rachel 20/08/2017 15:26

I LOVE sleep, however with my one year old I don't get as much as I would like. I monitor it with my Fitbit charge, luckily I get a bit more sleep now and on average I get about 7.5-8hrs sleep a night, which is good but I'd love 10

Lucy Ryan 20/08/2017 15:18

Being a mum of 7 it's tough. But, routine is the key same as everything else in life. It's ok to break the rules once in a while, we are all human after all. If I need an afternoon nap I'll have one, after all my first grandchild will be here in 2 weeks and my other children tell me that's what Nannys do!!!

Lynn Swift 20/08/2017 15:12

My sleep pattern changes as I tend to wake up a few times during the night..as long as I get 6-7 hours I can function normally

Victoria Smith 20/08/2017 15:07

I tend to get around 6 hours a night during the week. I find that when I sleep in (only on a sunday mind!) I feel more lethargic and get splitting headaches. Maybe there is such thing as too much sleep!

Jo Davage 20/08/2017 14:58

I have two kids. I feel I need 9 hours sleep a night to function my two princess have other ideas and normally team up against me to not sleep lucky if I get 5 hours. I have this weekend managed 9 hours last night as my wonderful mum has had them for me. Guess what they didn't make a noise all night and slept right thought