Lack Of Sleep And Obesity

Last Updated on June 10, 2022 by Ellen Christian

Lack of sleep and obesity may not be two words that you would commonly connect with each other. I know that they are both issues that many Americans struggle with.  I always seem to be trying to cram more work into each day.  One of the ways that I do that is buy staying up later and waking up earlier. After all, there are only twenty four hours in the day that I can work with.  In order to get more done, I need to add more hours to my day somehow. Some nights, I toss and turn and have problems falling asleep.  This contributes to my lack of sleep as well. So just how are lack of sleep and obesity related?

Lack Of Sleep And Obesity

I read an interesting article that said lack of sleep and obesity may actually have a connection.  Researchers in Sweden did a study that showed people who suffered from a lack of sleep were actually more likely to eat larger portions of high-calorie foods.  Participants in the study were more likely to choose larger portions of unhealthy foods when they did not get enough sleep the night before. The connection had nothing to do with how full the person felt which is interesting.  I know that I don’t always eat only when I’m hungry.  This connection between lack of sleep and obesity has me wondering what I can do to get a better night’s sleep.  I’ve come up with a few things that will work for me that I will start doing.

• Go to bed at a reasonable hour. I tend to push it past midnight until I can barely keep my eyes open. I’d like to get to bed by 10:30PM more often.
• Make the bedroom a more relaxing place.  I have too much clutter which means it doesn’t feel as relaxing too me. I am working on that in my declutter series.
• Limit caffeine after dinner.  I tend to have a diet soda after dinner and I know the added caffeine doesn’t help me sleep.
• Deal with my uncomfortable mattress.  We were given a mattress with our bed from a relative. While I appreciate the gift, it is not the most comfortable mattress I’ve slept on.

I have heard a lot about memory foam mattresses but ours is the kind of mattress with springs.  I tend to spend some nights tossing and turning while trying to get comfortable.  I decided that I would try a memory foam topper for my mattress to make it  more comfortable.  A memory foam topper sits on top of your mattress and can be used to soften a hard mattress or help rejuvenate sore muscles.  A memory foam topper can help provide back support which should help both my husband and I get a better night’s sleep.

The memory foam topper I am trying is from Nature’s Sleep.  The 2.5″ HD Visco Memory Foam Mattress Topper includes a washable microfiber cover that slides over the topper and my mattress to keep it in place.  HD (high density) memory foam softens with a warm body and that lets it mold to the shape of your body, supporting you where you most need support. When you get up, the memory foam returns to its original shape. This was my first experience sleeping on memory foam.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was super comfortable.  When I woke up, I didn’t have the normal aches in my lower back that I generally wake up with.

The memory foam topper was very easy to put on my bed.  I simply unrolled it, moved it to the correct position over my mattress and  put the microfiber cover on it.

Once that was done, I put the sheets on the bed and I was ready for a good night’s sleep.  My bed lo0ked no different than normal but it certainly felt different that night when I went to bed! If you’d like to purchase the memory foam topper or another item from Nature’s Sleep, you can use the 50% off code – BEARS50.   This code does not expire and is for your entire website purchase.

Ellen Christian

Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.