Add a good night's sleep to your checklist of helpful weight-loss aids.

Sleep deprivation interferes with appetite-suppressing hormones, increases stress hormone levels, and decreases a person's glucose tolerance, all of which may contribute to weight gain. Another way sleep loss may help pile on the pounds: late-night munching. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day to help achieve sounder sleep.

Although more research is needed to confirm the link between sleep and weight, getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger and help improve your mood. Overweight and obese adults are more likely to report skimping on sleep compared to people with healthy body mass indexes. Expending more calories than you take in is the simple science behind any successful weight-loss program. The best way to do this is to eat a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and boost the amount of time you spend exercising. Other habits may boost your weight loss efforts or hamper them. For example, skimping on sleep negatively alters levels of hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism and appetite control, which may contribute to weight gain. And living a hectic, high-stress lifestyle may make it harder for you to focus on your health and may increase the likelihood that you'll make poor food choices and skip your exercise routine. Set yourself up for success by living a balanced lifestyle, in addition to balancing calorie intake and expenditure.

Overweight and obese patients in a primary care population report less sleep than patients with a normal body mass index. Vorona, R. D., Winn, M. P., Babineau, T. W., Eng, B. P., Feldman, H. R., Ware, J. C., Archives of Internal Medicine 2005 Jan 10;165(1):25-30.