Other than hitting your macros day in, and day out, sleep is THE most important thing you can do to move the needle on fat loss. Sleep is often undervalued in today’s fast-paced society, where productivity is prioritized over rest and recovery. However, the significance of sleep cannot be overstated—it is essential for maintaining physical health, cognitive function, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. In this article, we will delve into the importance of sleep, explore factors that affect sleep quality, and provide practical tips on how to improve sleep.

The interconnection of sleep and our circadian rhythms regulates every metabolic process in our body, including our body temperature, heart rate, digestion and nutrient absorption, hormone release, energy and alertness, immunity and tissue repair, mood and emotions, cognitive processes, growth, and aging. Thus, getting enough good quality sleep helps us lose fat, gain muscle, and allows our bodies to recover after workouts, a surgery, or an especially high period of stress.  It regulates our blood sugar and blood lipids, our hormones, and our hunger, appetite, and satiety. Sleep just makes us better!

When we are not sleeping well, or sleeping enough, the cost is HIGH. Emotionally and cognitively we suffer. We tend to experience more negative moods, less motivation, trouble learning and developing new skills, trouble thinking and making decisions. We display more impulsive behaviors and struggle to manage our emotions. We tend to view situations with less humor and less big-picture thinking. Physiologically, a lack of sleep causes us to feel hungrier. Leptin, the hormone that helps us feel full is lower while Ghrelin, the hormone that makes us feel hungrier is higher. Less sleep means more fatigue and less energy overall. 

Each item on that list pertains to our journey with macros and fat loss! If we are to be successful with macros, we have to be adept at learning new skills and new ways of thinking. The macro lifestyle involves making decisions and setting priorities each day. It is managing our emotions on bad days and reframing perceived failure as learning. It is staying positive and embracing big picture thinking in order to delay gratification and put off impulsiveness. It is also having energy to move around- to work out or get our steps in. It is also embracing big picture thinking- to delay gratification and put off impulsiveness. It is having energy to move around each day, to get our steps in, or workout. It is having well-regulated hunger and a steady nutritional intake so we don’t get trapped in the binge-restrict cycle. In so many ways, not getting enough quality sleep will sabotage your macro journey emotionally, cognitively, and physically. 

Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep. Sleep may be one of those things that doesn’t seem too important until you aren’t getting it. And for many of us, sleep is a struggle. Our sleep is affected by our genetics, our biological sex and sex hormones, aging and life phases, societal roles and family norms, and our lifestyle. Many of these factors we can’t change. Instead, we want to focus on what we can change in order to increase the likelihood of getting a good night of sleep. That is, we want to focus on our mindset around sleep, what we can control in our sleep environments, and our sleep practices. 

As far as sleep mindset, avoid having a fixed mindset around sleep. Perhaps you think “I’m just a bad sleeper”. The truth is, you can learn to improve your sleep. Or maybe you tend to think sleep isn’t that important. However, sleep is vitally important to your well-being as a person and to flourishing in every area of your life. Sleep can be developed and you can make your sleep a priority, no matter what life circumstances you currently face. Avoid all-or-nothing thinking with sleep and aim to get just a little better. Like every other health behavior, it will take a bit of planning to make sleep a priority.

Tips for Improving Your Sleep Environment: 

Darkness and a decrease in temperature both signal your brain to release melatonin so focus especially on maintaining a dark, cool bedroom.

1. Make your bedroom as dark as possible by investing in blackout curtains or shades, wearing a sleep mask, and removing or covering up appliances that emit bright light (eg: alarm clock).  Keep light dim in your bedroom if you are reading. Avoid screens and televisions in your sleeping environment, if possible.
2. It is easier to fall and stay asleep in a cool room. The ideal sleeping temperature is between 65-68F. Some tips include setting your thermostat lower, maintaining a stable room temperature during the day by closing curtains or blinds, opening a window or running a fan to improve air circulation, choosing bed linens made of natural fibers (eg: cotton, bamboo) to reduce sweating, and taking a warm bath before bed to bring down your body temperature. 
3. A quiet environment is typically more sleep promoting than a noisy room. Keep your bedroom as quiet as possible by blocking out noise disturbances with a white noise machine. 
4. A weighted blanket can be very helpful, particularly for those with anxiety. The suggested weight for a weighted blanket is typically 10% of your body weight. 

Tips for Improving Your Sleep Practices: 

1. Create and use a pre-sleep ritual or a set of behaviors you do every night to set yourself up for a good night of sleep. Include calming activities such as prayer, reading or journaling, stretching, breathing exercises, or a bath.
2. Go to bed at the same time every day– even on weekends!
3. Decide in advance your bedtime and set an alarm for an hour before bed to wind down.
4. Avoid screens an hour before bed! If you can’t, wear blue light blockers, use f.lux or Night Mode on your devices. Keep in mind: even if you have no trouble falling asleep, screens interfere with melatonin production while you’re sleeping. Your sleep likely isn’t as deep. PRO TIP: Dock your devices in another room In another room! 
5. Avoid caffeine 8 hours before bed. 
6. Your last meal or snack should be at least 2 or 3 hours before bed. Make sure it is balanced well with carbohydrates and proteins
7. Alcohol is really rough on sleep quality. It initially helps you to fall asleep and then totally wrecks your REM-cycle. 
8. Regular exercise during the day promotes better sleep, but avoid vigorous exercise right before bed. 
9. Getting outside in morning sunshine is especially helpful in regulating your sleep cycle by calibrating your body’s circadian rhythm. 
10. After a poor night of sleep, a 10-30 minute power nap can positively impact your hunger hormones, mood, and energy. However, anything longer than 20-30 minutes will interfere with your sleep cycles leaving you groggy and lethargic when you wake up and possibly keeping you up later at night.
11. If you are experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, keep a change of pjs and a glass of water nearby so you don’t have to get up and roam the house to get what you need. 
12. If you wear a fitness tracker to bed, you likely have access to lots of data about your sleep. Sometimes this can make us feel anxious or perceive our sleep to be worse than it was which can make us feel worse. If all of this info is causing you anxiety, just remove the fitness tracker to sleep! 

I want to encourage you, to make your sleep a priority, right alongside hitting your numbers. If you can focus on two things- hit your numbers and prioritize your sleep. Remember, it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing. Make it your goal to pick one area on which to focus or one tip to incorporate. These inputs add up!