Being tired is the absolute worst. Everything becomes more complicated when you aren’t getting enough sleep at night. It becomes more difficult to make healthy food choices, to get up the energy to exercise, to manage your workload appropriately, and so on. Fatigue makes you want to overeat and causes your body to crave sugary foods that may give you a brief energy spike.

At the end of the day, if you aren’t getting enough sleep at night—and quality sleep, at that—then you may face an even more difficult time losing weight than usual.

It is said over and over again, but it is worth repeating: successful weight loss requires making long-term lifestyle changes. Being healthy is not about a quick diet or a fad workout; it’s about making sustainable changes to your lifestyle.

Zzzzs and LBs

When it comes to the reasons why we overeat, many people think immediately of stress or social pressure, but perhaps one of the most common causes of overeating is actually fatigue. It is impossible to avoid stress, and social pressure will always find its way to influence your dietary choices, but fatigue is an entirely preventable problem.

There are all sorts of reasons as to why you may be dealing with fatigue, from late-night TV watching to stress that kept you up, tossing and turning without getting a wink of sleep. When you are tired, you are much more likely to overeat because your body is desperately trying to get energy in whatever form that it can.

Here are a few strategies that can help you improve your sleeping habits, so you feel less tired during the day:

• Try to cut down your caffeine consumption, especially in the evening.
• Make dinner your last meal of the day. Consuming sugar before bed could be disrupting your sleep.
• Create a calm-down routine in the evening to reduce stress. This may include having a cup of tea, reading a book, or spending time with family.
• Shut off your email and social media feed. Unplugging from the digital world at night can help alleviate stress and help you sleep.

Even restrained eaters are more likely to overeat when they become tired, so keep this in mind and do your best to get plenty of rest. If you are tired, try to find sensible solutions that won’t set your dietary habits off track.