"Lose weight while you sleep!" It sounds like the promise from a late-night infomercial. But emerging science has proven that there is a correlation between sleep and obesity. Research from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and published in the "Obesity Reviews" medical journal found that those who did not get enough sleep were more likely to gain excess weight and be obese than those who got adequate rest. The link between sleep and weight loss tells us more about how to lose weight while getting your 40 winks.
Step 1
Get the seven to nine hours of sleep each night that are recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Getting adequate rest at night helps you control your appetite during the day so that you don't binge, and it helps give you more energy to work out throughout the day, notes a University of Chicago study. Those who only got five and a half hours of sleep ate about 200 calories more per day than those who slept for 8 1/2 hours. If you get enough sleep, you'll likely eat and weight less than someone who sleeps less than she should.
Step 2
Sleep deeply. Dr. Walter Moraes of Universidad Federal Sao Paolo, Brazil, found that people who slept lost more weight than those who laid awake in their beds. "Psychology Today" points toward the full sleep cycle as the reason for the weight loss.
When you sleep, your body goes through four distinct sleep cycles, from light sleep to deep sleep, to very deep sleep before repeating the cycle backward and entering rapid eye movement, or REM sleep. Each time your body moves to the next stage of sleep, the body changes temperature, which might be the cause of weight loss. Your metabolism has to burn faster while you sleep to create the energy that your body needs to sleep deeply.
Step 3
Develop a predictable sleep routine that is conducive to getting enough deep sleep each night. Go to bed at the same time each night, and avoid bringing distracting things such as the computer or a television in your bedroom. Instead, allow your room to be a relaxing and quiet place. Avoid caffeine and alcohol after 2:30 p.m., suggests "Glamour" magazine's "The Sleep Diet." Find your optimum amount of sleep each night by aiming for eight hours and evaluating how you feel. If you're still tired, bump your bedtime up 15 minutes each night until you awake feeling refreshed. You might just wake up skinnier, too.
References
- Obes Rev. 2009 Nov;10 Suppl 2:61-8.: Reduce Sleep as an Obesity Factor
- Sleep Med Clinic: Impact of Sleep and Sleep Loss on Glucose Homeostasis and Appetite Regulation
- "Psychology Today": Lose weight while you sleep (for real)!
- Sleep Foundation: How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
- "Glamour": The Sleep Diet
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