Some people may not realize that the habits we form in the evening can have just as much of an impact on our weight loss progress as what we do during the day.
As it turns out, what you do before bed, whether it’s the late-night snacks you indulge in or how long you scroll on your phone, can influence your sleep quality, energy levels, and how your body overall functions the next morning. These choices, which may seem small in the moment, add up and can either support your goals or slow them down without you even noticing. We spoke with women’s health specialist Dr. David Ghozland and trainer Maria Vazquez with MYWOWFIT about three common nighttime habits that can “ruin” your weight loss progress. Read more about them below.
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1. Eating Too Close To Bedtime
There are so many people who love a late-night meal, given their frantic and busy schedules. Plus, some people tend to get hungrier later in the evening, which is a habit that can build up over time. However, eating meals, especially processed foods, too close to bedtime is a sneaky, easy way to hinder your weight loss journey without even realizing it.
"Consumption of a sweet or processed meal in the late evening tends to lead to the insulin spike and interfere with the metabolism of fats, adding hundreds of calories with the amount of energy unawareness to the total calorie count," explains Dr. Ghozland.
2. Getting In Bed Right After Eating Dinner
Similarly to eating too close to bedtime, eating and then immediately getting ready for bed and going to sleep is not a great idea. Vazquez highly recommends fighting the sleepy urge and moving your body a bit between your final meal and going to bed, as it can end up benefiting your body and its functions that help you shed pounds a lot more.
"The body needs some slight movements for the digestion processes and for further stimulation of the basal metabolism," she says. "After dinner, take a walk around the block for those 10-15 minutes."
3. Using Screens Before Bed
It may sound strange to associate using screens with weight loss, but when it comes to how using screens affects your sleep, they can also make an impact on how successful your health journey is. Studies have shown that when you use screens while in bed or right before trying to fall asleep, you have lower chances of getting proper, restful sleep.
"The use of bright screens on gadgets such as disrupting regular sleeping patterns by blocking melatonin, changes hormones that affect the feelings of hunger and fullness," says Dr. Ghozland, who also notes that "insufficient sleep of less than 6 hours undermines the ability of the body to metabolize glucose within less than two days that facilitates the storage of fat regardless of the constant caloric intake."
