Tired and hungry? How sleep shapes your appetite and what shift workers can do
A short night makes you hungrier the next day and pulls you towards sweet and salty food. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours. Getting there more often, with a regular bedtime and a quieter evening, can make healthy eating feel far less of a battle.
A club coach goes through your situation with you and gives you practical advice.
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What a tired day looks like
You wake up groggy, skip breakfast, reach for a sugary coffee, then a pastry at 11am because your energy dips. In the afternoon, crisps from the machine. By evening you are too tired to cook, so it is a takeaway. Sound familiar? None of these choices is really about food. They are about being tired. The good news is that the chain works the other way too. A single better night often makes the next day of eating far easier.
Research suggests that sleep loss affects the hormones that signal hunger and fullness, and that tired people tend to eat more, particularly snacks. It also saps the energy you need to plan meals or go for a walk.
How much sleep is enough?
The NHS page on insomnia says that adults need 7 to 9 hours on average. You are probably short if you feel tired all day, nod off in front of the telly or rely on caffeine to get going.
5 changes for better nights
- Keep the same wake-up time. Even at weekends, within an hour.
- Stop caffeine after lunch. Tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks all count.
- Finish dinner early. Our article on light evening meals has ideas that will not keep you awake.
- Dark, cool, quiet. Blackout curtains, a cooler room and the phone outside the bedroom.
- Daylight in the morning. A short walk outside helps set your body clock.
The NHS sleep and tiredness pages cover more practical tips, including relaxation exercises.
If you work shifts
Many people around the M6 and M61 business parks work rotating or night shifts. Sleep is harder to protect, but a few rules help. Eat your main meal before the shift, choose a light snack in the small hours, wear sunglasses on the drive home after nights, and sleep in a blacked out room. Keep a consistent pattern across a block of shifts.
When to get help
If poor sleep has lasted for months or affects your daily life, see your GP. Snoring with pauses in breathing is also worth mentioning. This article does not replace advice from your GP or another health professional.
Stress and sleep often go together. Our piece on stress and a busy life looks at that side.
A reason to get up
An early breakfast with familiar faces gives the morning a fixed point. At Bamber Bridge Nutrition, members come in for breakfast before work and coaches trained in nutrition are there every weekday from 6am. Ask about your free assessment.
Your weight loss curve
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Going at the median rate, losing 8 kg would need roughly 11 weeks. Going at the slowest rate, roughly 4 months.
For weight that stays off, the figure usually quoted is 500 g to 1 kg each week. On the chart, this is the ideal band. Losing more than 1 kg a week, week after week, means the body burns muscle as well as fat. On the chart, this is the shaded band.
This projection is only a guide. Everyone’s path is different and outcomes differ between people. Everything is worked out on your own device, and nothing gets stored or transmitted. If you are over 65, check with your GP before anything else.
How this curve is calculated
The upper line of the band stands for 500 g each week, the slowest rate. The lower line stands for 1 kg each week, where risk begins.
Early weeks move quicker, largely through water loss, and then things settle down. From 40 onwards the median curve eases off bit by bit as metabolism winds down. Putting in equal effort, men tend to lose a touch faster than women.
As in real life, the curve includes short stalls lasting a few days and the odd small gain. It cannot forecast how your own path will go.
These tips are general guidance. A doctor’s opinion still comes first.
Further reading
Day-to-day support is explained in our programme for eating more healthily.