Is poor sleep the reason for your weight gain?

Are you tired of putting on weight even though you’re doing all the right things to lose it? According to the Harvard School of Sleep, people who don’t get at least eight hours of sleep a night are more likely to gain weight.


Dr Libby Weaver, Holistic Nutritionist, also believes weight gain can have a lot to do with sleep. This is because when we are stressed our bodies release a hormone called cortisol. The hormone helps up get through these stressful situations, but it also lowers our metabolism and signals to our body to store fat. In today’s world, often the only time our bodies manage to reduce cortisol levels is while we sleep. And we don’t just mean any sleep; it has to be deep and restorative sleep. The body needs to be fully rested in order to reduce cortisol levels.


This means it’s important to make sure you dedicate enough time to sleep, choose the right mattress to achieve deep sleep and focus on preparing well for bedtime.


If you’re not convinced, here are some more reasons why poor sleep can lead to weight gain:

Being sleep deprived stimulates the production of a hormone called ghrelin, which increases your appetite and can cause you to eat an extra 300 calories a day. Sleep deprived people also crave foods that are rich in fat and carbohydrates.

People who sleep for less than six hours a night are more likely to eat out have irregular meal patterns and snack more than those who slept for more than six hours.  

People who don’t get enough sleep are more tired during the day and as a result may curb their physical activity, meaning they burn fewer calories each day.