Introduction And Background
Have you ever noticed that the people who have been sleep deprived are usually very cranky and irritable? It is a normal phenomenon because their bodies aren’t at all well rested and are overworked which can lead to such behavior. Have you also noticed that those who are on a diet are also behaving in a similar manner? It is probably because they are not happy with their diet or are facing lack of sleep because of it! None is happy while doing their diet because that means abstaining from foods. And a relatively empty stomach as compared to the times before can easily give you sleepless nights initially. Nonetheless, it is important to get sufficient sleep while you are dieting. Why is that? Read on further to find out the connection between sleep and diet.

Why Sleep Is Important In A Diet?
A person would wonder why sleep is important in a diet. Don’t you burn more calories while you’re awake? While this may be true, there are various reasons as to why one should get sufficient sleep during a diet. Here are a few which you might know about. Once you read them, the connection between the two will make more sense to you.

• Sleeping is like a trigger for the body to freshen itself. Your body needs to rest otherwise the metabolic rate becomes slow and the body automatically becomes overworked. This does not burn more calories but rather the metabolic rate is adversely affected. Instead of trying to stay awake for a longer number of hours, one should consider getting sufficient sleep daily and in one stretch rather than broken down naps.
• Have you ever noticed that when you are awake, especially late into the night, you develop these late night cravings? It’s true! This is why students gain weight during exams time. They tend to snack up on unhealthy food or fast food and that only makes them gain weight. If one sleeps on time and not stay up late, of course they’ll be eating less. Sometimes people eat in order to stay up late and that can also be harmful to the diet. Thus, try waking up early in the morning and sleeping at a normal time during the night.
• When one does not get enough sleep, they are less likely to completely follow the diet they have selected. There was a friend who was dieting pretty nicely for a week but then he was getting less sleep the week after that and it was all downhill from there. He became irritable and less prone to stick to his diet. Thus, sleep does have an effect on your diet.
• Did you know that when you sleep, you are also burning calories and setting your body’s system right? This is necessary in a diet as well.

What If One Does Not Get Enough Sleep?
Well, this question has already been answered above but if you really need to know the details then here they are:

• You will probably be eating something unhealthy in order to stay awake and your food choices will become incredibly poor, leading you towards weight gain rather than weight loss.
• Your metabolic rate will slow down because your body is not well rested and is tired.
• You will become annoyed and irritable and it will lead to inclination towards cheating on your diet. You will be less likely to stick to it.

How Much Sleep Should One Have?
Sleeping for eight hours daily is more than enough. Anything from seven to nine hours is pretty suitable. However, anything less or more than that is not good. Yes, getting more sleep than the normal pattern is also not good. It makes you lazy and it will slow down your metabolism as well. Thus, try to sleep the normal amount and at a normal time as well. Do not take naps. They tend to also make you feel very tired and you won’t get the feeling of having a good sleep, regardless of the number of hours you’ve taken naps. Hence, remember this: seven to nine hours of sleep and it is preferable that it be in one stretch and during the night!

Conclusion
The sleep and diet connection has been explained above and by now you might get how important sleep really is. Dieting does not only mean that you control the amount of food you eat and ensure there is nothing starchy or fattening in it. It also means that you are taking care of your body and doing anything you can to ensure that the dieting goes smoothly. This includes sleeping properly, making healthy food choices and exercising the right way. If you follow all of these marks set, you’ll be on the road to weight loss in no time!