For years, I followed the rulebook when it came to dieting—counting calories, eating clean, exercising regularly. At first, it worked. But somewhere along the way, those same strategies stopped delivering the same results. Frustrated and confused, I decided to explore medical weight loss support. But another factor kept nagging at me: sleep—or the lack of it.
As a parent to an autistic child who has never slept well, my nights have been broken, brief, and restless for years. It’s only now, looking deeper into the science, that I’ve realised just how much poor sleep may have been quietly undermining my weight loss efforts all along.
In this article, I’ll explore how chronic sleep deprivation impacts everything from metabolism to hunger hormones—and how anyone struggling to see results might want to look beyond their diet and into their sleep habits instead.
Why Sleep Matters More Than You Think
We often hear that diet and exercise are the two pillars of weight loss — but there’s a third, often overlooked factor: sleep. According to countless studies, insufficient sleep can derail even the most carefully structured health plans. When you’re running on empty, your body starts to fight against your goals.
Sleep is the time your body uses to reset and repair. It’s when hormones are regulated, including those responsible for hunger (ghrelin), fullness (leptin), and stress (cortisol). When you’re sleep-deprived, ghrelin increases (making you feel hungrier), leptin decreases (meaning you feel less satisfied), and cortisol spikes — which can encourage your body to store fat, especially around the abdomen.
In short: no matter how clean your diet is or how many workouts you squeeze in, chronic lack of sleep could be sabotaging your progress.
My Personal Journey
Over the years, I’ve tried every version of “healthy” — calorie-counting, carb-cycling, plant-based eating, even full-blown clean eating. Many of them worked brilliantly in the past. But recently, I noticed something unsettling: those same methods just… stopped working. My body was no longer responding, and I couldn’t understand why.
Then it hit me. The one thing that had never improved was my sleep.
As a parent of an autistic child who struggles deeply with sleep, restful nights have never been part of our reality. I’ve gone years averaging just a few hours a night — light, broken, unrefreshing sleep. It leaves you running on adrenaline and coffee, in survival mode, constantly depleted. And as much as I try to show up with energy and intention each day, my body has started to resist.
So I made the decision to explore medical weight loss support — not as a shortcut, but as a way to complement my efforts and work with my body instead of constantly feeling at odds with it. But more importantly, I’ve started to look at sleep not as a luxury, but as the missing link in my health journey.
What the Research Says
Numerous clinical studies now confirm what many of us have suspected: chronic sleep deprivation makes weight loss significantly harder. In fact, people who sleep fewer than 6 hours a night are more likely to have higher body mass indexes (BMIs), increased insulin resistance, and metabolic slowdown — meaning you burn fewer calories even while resting.
Even more surprising? Poor sleep can lead to muscle loss, especially when you’re dieting. This means you’re not just losing fat — you’re losing strength and tone too, which makes long-term maintenance even more difficult.
What Can You Do?
For anyone in a similar position — whether you’re caring for a child, working night shifts, or simply stuck in a cycle of poor rest — know this: you’re not failing. Your body is doing its best to survive without one of its most critical tools.
Here are a few things I’m working on that may help:
- Prioritising sleep hygiene: This includes dimming lights, setting boundaries around screen time, and creating a calming wind-down routine.
- Seeking support: Whether through sleep specialists, support groups for parents, or simply being honest about my struggles, connection helps.
- Focusing on small wins: A perfect 8 hours might not be realistic, but can I get 30 more minutes tonight? Can I nap when my son does? Progress over perfection.
- Being kind to myself: This isn’t about “snapping back” or forcing results. It’s about slowly rebuilding trust with my body and recognising what it needs.
The Takeaway
Your weight loss journey isn’t just about willpower. It’s also about biology, circumstance, and care. If you’re doing everything “right” but not seeing results — look deeper. For me, the missing piece was sleep. And while it’s still a work in progress, acknowledging it has brought me closer to understanding my body than any diet ever did.
Wordy By Hannah Parnaby
How Poor Sleep Affects Your Health, Skin and Mental Wellbeing
