As yet more research links poor sleep to weight gain, our clever food plan will help you snooze – and lose!

IF you’re a bad sleeper you could be adding over an inch to your waistline, according to a new study.

Scientists at the University of Leeds have found that people sleeping less than six hours a night have on average 3cm bigger waists than those sleeping for nine hours.

“Our findings highlight the importance of getting enough sleep when it comes to obesity,” says lead researcher Dr Laura Hardie.

Indeed, in the last few years, the link between what we eat and our sleep patterns has increasingly emerged as an important piece in the obesity puzzle. We’ve known for a long time that the right foods can aid sleep, but more recent research shows that better sleep helps promote weight loss.

Another study, this time by Uppsala University in Sweden, found that the more tired people were, the more they ate during the day – which, over time, led to significant weight gain.

This is partly explained by the fact that lack of sleep appears to stimulate production of the hunger hormone ‘ghrelin’, which makes us overeat. Equally, the more you sleep the less you tend to eat.

“There are now a number of interesting studies that show how long and how well you sleep are linked to your weight,” says nutritionist Fiona Hunter.

“If you’re trying to lose weight, it makes sense to overhaul your sleep habits as well as your diet and include foods to help you get a good night’s sleep.”

How our plan works

The first step to sorting your sleep and slimming down is to eat balanced, nutritious meals and snacks, which are evenly spaced throughout the day.

Eat too little during the day, and you’ll overeat in the evening, leading to a night of tossing, turning and indigestion.

But eat too small a dinner and you might f ind y ourself lying awake, desperate for a trip to the fridge. Planning is therefore essential – which is why we’ve created the simple meal planner for you on the far right. This diet will also help you break the dreaded daily cycle of sleeping badly, then guzzling caffeine and snacking on sugar y treats to get through the day. This way you’ll get a more restful night and our food plan is also designed to aid weight loss. Within two weeks you should be sleeping more soundly, experiencing fewer cravings and starting to drop a few pounds. Follow the plan for four weeks and you could ditch a whole dress size.