Sleep Habits Can Sabotage Weight Loss
Did you know poor sleep habits could be wreaking havoc on your attempts at weight loss? You could be eating lean proteins and healthy veggies, exercising with cardio and strength training three days a week, and still sabotaging yourself through sleep deprivation. It doesn’t have to be to the extreme. Just a night here and there can throw off your system and keep you from success.
Poor sleep habits negatively impact our ability to effectively manage stress. The CDC says 30% of adults don’t get enough sleep. Not so coincidentally, the obesity rate is nearly identical. That means we have a lot of stressed and overweight people in the world.
When we lack sleep our body also produces cortisol. As our cortisol levels rise so do our feelings of being hungry and never satisfied. Our decision-making for choosing healthy foods and sticking to proper portion control is compromised. It’s a vicious cycle that can be avoided.
Think about this … If God designed our bodies to sleep one-third of our lifetime, then He must want us to give it a priority in our lives. Nowhere in life, aside from working, do we spend so much time doing one thing. Hopefully, once you understand the importance of sleep, you will value it more and give it the time and attention it rightfully deserves.
Why Sleep?
When we sleep the systems of our bodies undergo repair and restoration. We do know that without adequate sleep, our mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual faculties will not function optimally. Some say sleeping is akin to house cleaning for the brain. Poor sleep habits are also a contributing factor in lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
What Happens During Sleep
There is much maintenance that happens when you’re asleep. This includes muscle repair, memory restoration, hormone production, and immune system restoration.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
The amount of sleep you need varies by age and by individuals. A good measure of how much you need is how you feel when you wake up in the morning. If you feel refreshed and energetic, then you likely had a good night’s sleep. The National Sleep Foundation’s sleep guidelines recommend 7–9 hours for the average adult.
God has designed our bodies perfectly to rise up feeling refreshed, to be productive during the day, and rest at night. Staying up late dishonors your body. Commit to honoring God’s Word and your body by accepting God’s gift of rest.
If your sleep habits are less than ideal then begin to pray and research some strategies to help you improve your quality of sleep.
Reflect
1. How many hours of sleep do you get per night on average?
2. What will you do to improve your quality of sleep?
Relaxation Exercise
Tighten and Release
Just focus on one body part and be aware of how it feels. Think about your neck. Is it tense? Take a deep breath and say, “relax.” Then move to your shoulders and back and repeat the process. When you’re done, relax for a while in silence and stillness, giving thanks to God for the intricacies and wonder of your body. Then slowly open your eyes and stretch if necessary.
Learn More
Proper rest, from a godly perspective, is what our course, “Rest, Restore and Rejuvenate“ is all about, but there is a lot more to it. How we manage stress and set priorities are major factors as well. To learn more, sign up for our “Rest, Restore and Rejuvenate“ course that begins August 1st. Register here!