How you sleep affects everything; it’s vital for your overall health and wellness. Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night can even help you lose weight.
A 2024 study by Equinox and researchers at UCLA found that people who had sleep coaches reduced their body fat percentage, increased endurance, and increased aerobic performance. This was a small study with 13 women and 19 men who went through sleep coaching that included 12 sessions of 10 minutes each with a trained fitness professional. Participants also received weekly assignments on how to improve their sleep, one hour of coached resistance training, and guided aerobic exercise three times a week. The study went on for 12 weeks and included a control group that received the same health coaching and fitness training but no sleep coaching.
According to Best Life, the sleep coaching advice participants received were going to bed at the same time every night, investing in good bedding, keeping the room cold, limiting alcohol, and turning off all electronics after 10 p.m. If you take away just one thing from this study, it should be that you need to turn off and put away all electronics one hour before you need to sleep.
How you lose weight by putting your phone away
So, how does turning off all devices (phone, TV, computer, tablet, etc.) affect your weight? A 2024 study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found a clear link between light exposure at night and metabolism. Participants slept better in darkness and had much lower insulin levels as a result.
It doesn’t matter how much you exercise you get or how well you eat; if your insulin levels are high, you will put on weight. If you are trying to lose weight or don’t want to gain weight, you need to turn off your devices one hour before sleep and keep your bedroom as dark as possible while you sleep. Some recommend putting your phone on the other side of the bedroom or in another room at night to eliminate temptation. It’s best if you remove any electronics from your bedroom, as this room should be a place for sleep and nothing else (via Verywell Health).
Both studies show that you can gain weight just by not sleeping well, whether it’s in a too-hot room or by leaving a device on. Ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible by investing in some blackout curtains or a sleeping mask that blocks out any artificial light.
