09/17/2026
Want an underrated health and fitness tool?
Sleep.
In a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine, overweight adults who normally slept less than 6.5 hours per night were coached to increase their sleep.
They changed their sleep habits and ended up sleeping about 1.2 hours longer per night and, without being instructed to diet, consumed an average of approximately 270 fewer calories per day.
That doesn’t mean sleeping more magically causes fat loss.
But it DOES reinforce something we talk about constantly:
Your sleep affects your appetite, energy, food choices, recovery, training and ability to stay consistent.
You can have the perfect workout plan and nutrition goals but if you’re chronically running on 5–6 hours of sleep, you’re making the whole process harder.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your fitness tonight isn’t another workout.
It’s going to bed. 😴
Study: Tasali E, et al. Effect of Sleep Extension on Objectively Assessed Energy Intake Among Adults With Overweight in Real-life Settings. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2022.
