Poor sleep has been linked to increased weight gain. Some sleep medications may also have side effects of weight gain. Therefore focusing on strategies to improve sleep are important. Here are some tips

Research

For children, sleep timing can impact weight. In children with severe obesity, they tended to sleep later, and also have more “social jet lag” a term indicating how sleep time changes on weekends versus weekdays. More screen time and less physical activity had negative effects on sleep (Beyond sleep duration: Sleep timing as a risk factor for childhood obesity).

Sleep tips: consult your clinician as you may have medical reasons why you cannot sleep (e.g. sleep apnea). If you don’t have a medical reason, here are some tips to consider.

One of the best solutions is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i). You can see a counsellor, or even try companies like Haleo to help.

Sleep Hygiene is very important

1) Entrainment is like synching your body. Getting natural sunlight exposure (or artificial if that is only possible) helps. Try to get light exposure 30-60 minutes after getting up. It may also be helpful to get sunlight in the late afternoon. Similar avoid bright lights during the night as these may wake you.
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​2) Set a schedule: aim to wake up and go to sleep around the same time. If you are tired earlier than usual you can sleep but try to stay close to a routine.

3) Avoid caffeine within 12 hours of bedtime and alcohol within 4 hours of bedtime. Som people may tolerate caffeine close to bed, but many may not and it takes time to metabolize caffeine. 

4) Limit daytime naps to less than 60 minutes if needed.

5) Environment Matters: Keep your room cool and dark. You can keep you feet warm with any extra blanket to promote sleep. Taking a warm shower before bed can help too. You can also consider a white noise maker, aroma therapy, or a weighted blanket if those help

6) If you partner is waking you up, consider sleeping in another room (at least if your sleep is really disturbed)

How can I fall back asleep when I wake up?

It is common to wake-up during the night. If you have trouble falling back to sleep consider these strategies

Relaxation is really the key point. Find what works for you. Here are some suggestions:

1) Meditation including apps like Headspace, Waking Up, Reveri, Muse, or any other app that works for you.

2) Close to meditation is “Non-sleep Deep Rest” or NSDR (here is one example). You can also try Yoga Nidra (learn more here).

3) Listen to calming music or audio books (but ideally not stimulating content)

Supplements and Medications

Be cautious with any sleep substances or medications, and speak with your healthcare provider. It may be appropriate to use these, but only for a short time while you work on building core sleep habits.

One note, even melatonin, an endogenous substance that synchronizes circadian rhythm, can have risks to taking.

“The data also showed that more adults are using doses greater than 5 mg, which boost serum melatonin levels far beyond typical nighttime peak concentrations before declining after 4 to 8 hours. Prior to the 2005-2006 NHANES survey, no participants reported taking more than 5 mg per day but by 2018, about 1 in 8 melatonin users did so.”

-Bridget M Kuehn (source)

Melatonin may be helpful for shift workers or jetlag.

In many countries, melatonin is sold over-the-counter and may not have the same quality control as prescription medications. In Canada, one study found that melatonin levels were almost 500% higher than stated on the bottle! (source).

Taking melatonin at the wrong time may also make things worse. It is generally recommended to take small doses 4 hours prior to sleeping. Taking it in the middle of the night could make you more tired in the morning (source).