Holistic Fitness Personal Training
Your Complete Health & Fitness Training Solution

By Darrin D'Amico


Do you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night? Do you experience restless or disturbed sleep (due to snoring, stress or anxiety, sleep apnea, etc.) that leads to poor-quality sleep and leaves you tired and exhausted the next morning? Do you just have overall bad sleeping habits?

Sleep has been very well researched and documented and it is known that good quality sleep is critical to our overall health and well being. Especially with regards to our body’s immune function, brain function and decreasing our risk for many diseases such as, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes (type 2), and cancer. But did you know that sleep, or the lack thereof, can also be a major contributing factor to weight gain?

That’s correct! New research shows that not getting enough sleep or getting poor-quality sleep over prolonged periods of time can cause weight gain because of its impact on metabolism and appetite.

Apparently, studies have shown that not getting enough sleep night after night wreaks havoc on the body’s hormones that control appetite. These hormones are unknowingly induced to cause appetites to rise in those that are sleep deprived.

The body’s ability to utilize glucose (our energy source) is also impaired with prolonged insufficient sleep. This is a major metabolic nightmare because this causes the body to increase the insulin (a hormone that enables our cells to absorb glucose as energy) level in the blood which could eventually lead to insulin resistance and the onset of type-2 diabetes as well as the storage of body fat.

Lastly, not getting enough sleep messes with the body’s internal clock that regulates vital rhythmic functions (i.e., metabolism) throughout the body. This may have serious implications on weight gain and our ability to manage our weight.

It is now evident that not getting enough sleep creates the condition in our bodies that encourages weight gain and that getting sufficient sleep each night will help ward off weight gain.

So, what can you do to get more sleep or better quality sleep to help avoid unwanted weight gain? First, try to go to bed the same time every night and wake up the same time every morning so your body gets used to a certain sleep schedule. Second, give yourself some time to wind down before hitting the pillow at night. Put work aside, relax and enjoy a good book or a hobby. Third, avoid alcohol as it impacts the quality of sleep you get and depletes the body of vital energy. Fourth, make sure to exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day as exercise improves overall health and fitness and relieves stress and anxiety which leads to better quality sleep and better sleep patterns. Finally, if you suspect that you or your partner (maybe it’s their snoring that disturbs you at night) has a sleep-related issue or condition, please see your doctor immediately.

If you are in need of assistance with respect to exercise and are looking for a personal trainer, allow us to serve you and Contact us for your FREE consultation.

You’re in for great service!

To your success,

Darrin D’Amico


Sleep To Lose Weight