Can Reflexology Support Your Weight Goals Through Better Sleep and Stress Relief?

With summer behind us and a fresh fitness focus ahead, many people are turning to holistic ways to support healthy weight management.

A recent episode of The Resetter Podcast with Dr Mindy Pelz and Dr Rangan Chatterjee (21 July 2025) shared a powerful insight:

👉 If you sleep only 5–5.5 hours per night—compared to 7.5 hours—you’re likely to consume around 22% more calories the following day.

This striking figure highlights how important good sleep is for supporting healthy weight management. Poor sleep disrupts hunger hormones, increases cravings, and reduces willpower, making it harder to stay on track with any wellness goal.

Why Reflexology Can Help

Reflexology is not a weight-loss treatment. However, it is evidenced to improve sleep quality and reduce stress levels—two of the biggest factors influencing our eating habits and energy balance. Better rest can mean:

• Less late-night snacking

• More energy for movement

• A clearer mind when making food choices

Dr Chatterjee also emphasises stress management, mindful eating, and sleep as being foundational to change. This is where reflexology may provide valuable support.

Stress and Eating Patterns

It’s not just sleep that affects our choices. Research shows that:

• 80% of people change their eating habits due to stress

• 45% eat more when stressed

• 35% eat less

  
  

The World Health Organisation has even described stress as the “health epidemic of the 21st century.”

Where Reflexology Fits In

By supporting both sleep and stress, reflexology helps create the right conditions for making healthier lifestyle choices. It doesn’t replace eating well or moving more — but it can support the foundations of wellbeing that make those habits easier to maintain.

Eating the right foods is of course essential — especially since our diets and food culture have changed so much since our grandparents’ era but lifestyle factors matter too, and sleep and stress are often overlooked so perhaps the real question is:

👉 Beyond diet, what simple actions can you take today to support your health goals? 👣👣👣

PB x

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