Are you losing members because they say they don’t have time, but are really just too tired to come to the gym before or after work? They may be suffering from chronic sleep deprivation!
Sleep deprivation can take several forms, including not going to bed early enough, getting up too early or being unable to stay asleep through the night.
If there is no underlying medical condition, then the lifestyle of that person needs to be considered. This is how a nutrition and wellness consultant can be very valuable to your team. I would discuss many aspects of the member’s life to get a complete picture of their fitness, including their sleep hygiene.
Sleep hygiene is simply the habits you have for getting and going to sleep. Good sleep habits include having a regular timetable, especially in the evening, for unwinding and relaxing before bedtime, for shutting down computers and other electrical devices that shine light into the eyes and for reducing or eliminating caffeine, alcohol or stimulants before bed.
If a person works out in the evenings, they should be someone who has time to wind down when they get home and finds exercising at that time of night relaxing. Not everyone does. Research has not proven that exercising at any particular time of day is best. It’s usually a matter of what is best for that person.
But here is the part that’s most interesting to me as a nutritionist. The folks who are walking around being sleep-deprived and don’t have enough energy to work out are also eating 300 more calories per day than when they are well rested! (And ice cream is one of their favorite foods to eat when they’re tired.)
Researchers at Columbia University found that when women were sleep-deprived they ate an average 329 more calories a day versus when they were well rested; men ate 263 more calories. Overall, most of the extra calories came from high-fat foods such as ice cream and fast foods.
Scientists have known for years that too little shut-eye can lead to weight gain and obesity. Sleep deprivation makes you more susceptible to overeating, so that can be something to consider when you’re trying to lose weight. This confirms other research that short sleep duration is associated with eating more and could lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
So sleep deprivation provides a “double whammy” for weight gain — that is, people not only eat more when they’re tired but also may be less likely to exercise. They just want to go home and go to bed!
How can we use this information to help our members? We need to educate them about the importance of adequate rest, not just to improve recovery from the stress of exercise, but also to improve their ability to manage their weight safely and effectively. When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep?
Judith Samuels, M.A. is a certified nutrition and wellness consultant and master personal trainer at Sport&Health Clubs in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. She can be reached via e-mail at judi@judisamuels.com.
