Sleeping in may actually help you lose weight. A study led by Dr. Walter Moraes of Universidad Federal São Paulo, Brazil, found that the body burns up significant calories at night, especially during REM sleep. Sufficient sleep also helps balance hormones related to hunger called leptin and ghrelin.
Establishing healthy sleeping patterns will help to ensure you get enough sleep so your REM time isn't cut short. Doing relaxation exercises and following strategies to establish these patterns will mean that you'll never need to rely on sleeping pills to get a good night's sleep and promote weight loss.
Step 1
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This helps establish a pattern for you to sleep when your body needs to based on your biological clock. Set times that allow you to get at least 8 hours of sleep. People identified as "short sleepers" were found to have higher body mass indexes (BMI) than "long sleepers" in a study done at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC. The average BMI of people who slept less was 28.3, which is considered to be overweight. People who slept more had a normal weight BMI of 24.5.
Step 2
Reduce your caffeine intake. Sodas, coffee, chocolate, and teas should be reserved for the morning and taken in low amounts. Try replacing caffeinated drinks with clear sodas like 7-Up, as recommended by Thomas Yarnell, Ph.D. Dr. Yarnell is a clinical psychologist. Caffeine-free sodas like root beer, caffeine-free Pepsi or Coke or decaffeinated teas work too.
Step 3
Do breathing exercises before bed to relax you so you can fall asleep more easily. Lie down on your back. Put one hand on your abdomen and one your chest. Breathe in through your nose and pull the air into your stomach first and then your chest. Your hands will rise if you are breathing correctly. Breathe out through your nose, emptying your lungs and then your stomach.
Step 4
Do moderate exercise daily for 30 minutes, as recommended by Dr. Yarnell. Exercise promotes healthy sleep patterns, reduces stress, and burns calories. Moderate exercise activities include cycling, brisk walking, dancing. Make sure you are finished with your workouts at least one hour before your bedtime as this can interfere with your ability to fall asleep.
Tips and Warnings
- Relaxation, in general, will lower your likelihood of stress eating. Avoid large meals before your bedtime.
- Sleeping pills will not work long term. Your body will adapt to them, and you will require more over time just for them to have the same effect.
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