Is Poor Sleep Sabotaging Your Weight Loss?

13 Oct Is Poor Sleep Sabotaging Your Weight Loss?

Posted at 09:00h in Weight Loss by

You’re probably aware that lack of sleep negatively impacts your health and energy levels, but did you know it can also hamper your efforts to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet? Have you ever noticed that you’re more likely to overeat when you’re tired? Not getting enough sleep interferes with the hormones that regulate our hunger and satiety. Here’s what you need to know about how sleep affects weight loss and how to get a better night’s rest.

Are you struggling to change your habits and lose weight? We are a team of qualified, experienced nutritionists who specialise in weight loss. If you’re looking for support with overcoming your challenges, achieving your desired weight and maintaining it long term, we can help. Book in for a complimentary call with us today to find out more.

DO YOU EAT MORE WHEN YOU’RE TIRED?

In short, yes. When you haven’t slept enough, levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin are increased so you’re likely to feel hungrier than normal which can lead to to overeating. Disturbed sleeping patterns, in terms of both quantity and quality, have been shown in studies to lead to an increase in energy intake, mainly from snacking and particularly on foods rich in fat and carbohydrates.

DECREASED SATIETY

Sleep also regulates how much leptin the body produces. Leptin is known as the ‘satiety hormone’. It lets us know when we’ve had enough to eat and sends signals to the brain that we’re full. Lack of sleep reduces levels of leptin meaning that our ‘stop eating’ messages don’t get through.

The combination of increased hunger and decreased satiety is a recipe for overeating. And, chances are it won’t be salad you find yourself bingeing on. In one study, people who lost 80 minutes of sleep one night ate an average of 549 extra calories the following day.

LACK OF WILLPOWER OR LACK OF SLEEP?

We often blame a lack of willpower when we struggle to control our eating, but how many of us are actually at the mercy of our hormones due to lack of sleep? Many of us give ourselves a hard time, not truly understanding the underlying causes of the perceived lack of willpower. Next time you’re tempted to overeat, or reach for foods that aren’t ideal, ask yourself if lack of sleep could be to blame.

HOW CAN YOU GET A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP?

ESTABLISH A ROUTINE

Based on your wake time, identify when you need to go to bed to ensure you get eight hours sleep. The body thrives on routine so aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time most nights. You may wish to set a reoccurring bedtime alarm to remind you to stop what you’re doing and get to bed.

YOUR LAST MEAL

Aim to have your last meal of the day at least three hours before bedtime. Stopping drinking liquids three hours before bed can help reduce the need to get up in the night to use the bathroom.

BEDROOM TEMPERATURE

Maintain a comfortable temperature in your bedroom – not too hot, not too cold.

DARK BEDROOM

Keep your bedroom completely dark so that you’re not disturbed by light. If you don’t have blackout curtains, try wearing a sleep mask to block out light.

EXERCISE AND DAYLIGHT

Aim to take some exercise every day, ideally before midday. If you can do this outdoors, even better. Exposure to daylight early in the day can support your body’s circadian rhythms and help you sleep better at night.

AVOID BLUE LIGHT

Avoid blue lights from screens (Phones, iPads, laptops and TVs) at least two hours before bed. Blue light can disrupt melatonin production and negatively impact sleep. If you do use screens in the evening, invest in a pair of blue light blocking glasses.

WIND DOWN FOR BED

Make an effort to relax for at least 15 minutes before going to bed. Avoid scrolling and try reading book, meditating or simply closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing.

MEDITATE

Listening to a sleep meditation can be a very effective way to help you drift off, or get you back to sleep if you wake in the night. There are many different meditation apps available to download on the App Store. We recommend MEYA sleep meditations uses binaural beats to help encourage delta brainwaves, those generated in deepest meditation and dreamless sleep.

MODERATE STIMULANTS

You probably know that consuming caffeine after a certain time can affect your sleep.The typically recommended cut-off time for consuming caffeine use is a minimum of eight hours. However, notice how caffeine affects you. Taking a few days off from drinking it completely can help you establish how it’s impacting your sleep.

AVOID ALCOHOL

Whilst alcohol can make you feel sleepy in the short term, it can actually significantly disrupt your sleep. Anyone who tracks their sleep and recovery using wearable health trackers like a WHOOP Strap or Oura Ring will have noticed how even small amounts of alcohol can hugely impact sleep quality and recovery.

TRY A SLEEP SUPPLEMENT

Countless natural sleep supplements are available over the counter. Two we find to be effective are:
Valerian and Hops – a natural, herbal sleeping aid and Unplug, a sleep complex from Motion Nutrition.

WORK WITH US

We are a team of qualified nutritionists who specialise in weight loss. The way we support our clients in losing weight extends far beyond handing out generic diet plans. Achieving and maintaining your ideal weight requires more than that. If you’re ready to overcome your weight challenges, achieve your goal weight and maintain it long term, we can help. You can use this link to book in for a complimentary call. This is an opportunity to talk through your challenges with a member of our team and decide together whether one of our Intelligent Weight Loss programmes is right for you. Or contact us to request a copy of our brochure and we will get back to you soon.

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LINDA ROBINSON

Linda is our Practice Coordinator, helping to keep the clinic running smoothly.

 

Originally from Texas, Linda completed her MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan. Linda has worked as a Strategy Consultant across multiple industries globally in cities including Kyoto, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. She developed an interest in nutrition whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides cooking and nutrition education to children and families.

Linda is now settled in London with her husband, two children, and her very bouncy, sociable dog.

SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team and heading up the day-to-day running of our clinic.

 

Coming from a background in town planning, Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, continually ensuring we are delivering the very best service to our clients.


A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 where she lives with her husband, two children, and her rescue dog Skyy.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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