I swear it’s a magic trick. It’s something I overlook too often, and find myself smacking myself on the forehead about every time I finally remember. It’s something that slips out of habit easily, and when it does, it wreaks havoc on my weight loss. What is this elusive magic trick? Sleep.

You read right; it’s sleep. Getting a good, solid 8 hours is one of the biggest factors in weight loss. I know there are scientific reasons listed as to why sleep is so important for weight loss, and I could spell it all out for you here, but that’s not what my site is about. I’m all about the mind tricks, motivation, and perseverance. In this case, the mind trick is getting enough sleep to allow your body to fully process and lose the weight, and for your mind to clear for you to be able to keep your head clear and in the game for the coming day.

With sleep, not only will your body fully and properly process the food you’ve taken in the day before, but your mind will be clear so that you can resist the temptations, handle the false appetite, and push past cravings that are only there due to boredom. Whenever I find myself in a plateau, the first place I look is how much sleep I’ve not been getting, and sure enough, I find that I need to increase my sleep amounts.

I know: you’re busy. We’re all busy. But sleep is something we all aren’t getting enough of. From what I understand, the vast majority of Americans are sleep deprived. We feel like there’s so much to do and so little time to do it in that we sacrifice our sleep to get more in. I totally get it; I do the same. But for my body health’s sake, and for my mental health’s sake, I force myself to get sleep. I’m not perfect at it, but I continue to take stock of my sleep amounts, and when I find it lacking, I get to bed early. More often then not, I’m thankful for the extra sleep, and ultimately, what I gave up for the sleep ended up not being so important in the long run. My health and weight loss, on the other hand, mean a lot more to me!

Try to increase your sleep duration. You will find yourself feeling much better, and more likely, you’ll find yourself weighing less in the mornings.