How Does Sleep Affect Weight Loss? -

There are several ways in which not getting enough sleep can affect weight loss, or even cause weight gain.

It Throws You Off-Balance

“Getting too little sleep contributes to weight gain by upsetting the balance between how much we eat and how much fuel we burn,” says Shanon Makekau, MD, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu.

One clinical trial of 80 overweight adults who habitually slept less than 6.5 hours per night found that a two-week sleep extension intervention significantly reduced their daily energy intake by approximately 270 calories. The participants expended the same amount of energy during the day, resulting in a negative energy balance, which can lead to weight loss.

It Can Make You Hungrier the Next Day

Sleep deprivation may lead to increased levels of the neurotransmitter ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry, and lower levels of leptin, which makes you feel full.

“This can result in increased appetite, and hence weight gain,” Dr. Polos says.

You Have More Time to Eat

If you’re not sleeping as much, you’re awake more hours of the day and have more opportunities to eat, Dr. Makekau says.

You Tend to Snack More

To make matters worse, the foods you may reach for when you’re sleep deprived, such as donuts and fried food, are often not the healthiest choices. “Sleep-deprived individuals tend to eat foods with greater amounts of carbohydrates and calories,” Polos says.

One narrative review noted that disturbed sleeping patterns have been shown to lead to an increase in energy (calorie) intake, mainly from snacking, especially on foods rich in fat and carbohydrates.

One the other hand, getting more sleep can lead to healthier food choices. “Getting enough good-quality sleep supports daytime energy, mood, concentration, and motivation,” Makekau says. “All of these factors play an important role in making good choices during the daytime.”

You Move Less When You’re Tired

“People who don’t get enough sleep are more sedentary and are less likely to engage in moderate to vigorous activities such as sports or exercise,” Makekau says. Think of the last time you got only five or six hours of sleep. You likely struggled to get through the day and were not raring to go to the gym to work out.

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