Cardiologist Says Poor Sleep Can Stop Weight Loss, Even With Diet and Exercise

Losing weight is not always as simple as eating less and exercising more. Many people try hard by walking daily, going to the gym, and choosing healthy food. Yet they still do not get the results they want. According to Dr Sanjay Bhojraj, a cardiologist and functional medicine doctor with over 20 years of experience, the reason may be poor sleep.

Dr Bhojraj shared that he used to believe eating clean food, doing cardio, lifting weights, and counting calories were enough for weight loss. He followed these steps himself and guided his patients to do the same. But many of his patients still gained weight or felt tired, even after doing everything correctly. This made him re-examine what was really happening inside the body.

He explained that weight loss is not only about food and exercise. It is also about metabolic inflammation. Metabolic inflammation happens when the body is under stress for a long time. One of the biggest causes of this stress is poor sleep. When sleep is disturbed, the body releases more cortisol, which is a stress hormone. At the same time, insulin increases. When both of these levels stay high, the body goes into fat-storing mode, making weight loss very difficult.

Even processed foods that look “healthy” and daily emotional stress can add to this problem. Because of this, the body remains tired, the metabolism slows down, and fat stays stored in the body. Dr Bhojraj said you cannot fix this just by eating less. The body needs proper rest to heal, digest food well, and burn fat in a balanced way.

After learning this, he changed his approach. He asked his patients to first improve their sleep schedule. He advised them to focus on relaxing before bed, avoiding screens late at night, and making sure they sleep long enough to feel fresh in the morning. He also encouraged gentle morning movement like stretching or walking to wake up the body naturally.

Dr Bhojraj said that once his patients started sleeping better and reducing stress, their heart health improved too. After about 12 weeks, many of them lost up to 35 pounds of stubborn fat, their blood pressure dropped, and they reported feeling younger and more energetic.

His message is clear: If a person wants to live a long life and maintain a healthy weight, they need to take sleep seriously. Proper rest is not a luxury. It is an important part of health, just like healthy eating and exercise.

This information is to help readers understand their health better, but it should not replace medical treatment. Anyone with health problems should talk to a doctor for personal advice.