Sleeping Is The New Way To Lose Weight

Yes, you read that right! For all sleep lovers out there, now you can doze off without worrying. And with good reason. Losing weight has generally been associated with actions that require great will power like eating healthy, exercising and staying off sugar. While these and many other similar methods have been conventionally adopted, studies suggest that sleeping might just be the easiest way to lose those extra kgs of fat.

So how does it work?

A majority of us consume many mini-meals apart from the lunch and dinner, throughout the course of the day. Sometimes, this means more calories than what you would have taken, if you had stuck to eating the right portions at the right time.

So scientists at Salk Institute came up with a study where they asked people who were up for 14 hours a day to now remain awake only for 11. After 16 weeks, the participants lost over 4% of their excess body weight without doing anything else to lose it.

This is why it happened:

Reason 1 - Farewell To Night-Snacking

Consider this. You are awake till late, working on a project or chatting with friends. This wakefulness disturbs your circadian rhythm or your body-clock, leading to excess secretion of ghrelin, a hormone that increases our appetite. This was proved in a study by University of Pennsylvania where researchers found that subjects who slept from 4am to 8am consumed 550 more calories than the subjects who slept through 11pm to 8am.

Reason 2 - You Actually Burn Calories While Sleeping

Our bodies expend energy and burn calories even while we are not working out. During sleep, a person burns about 65 calories per hour. That is over 500 calories during an 8 hour sleep! If you spent that time watching TV, you would burn about the same amount but also be tired and feel less energized. Fat loss, according to a study by University of Chicago is more when people are well rested.

Reason 3 - You Shop Better And Eat Better

Surprisingly, as per a study published in the magazine Obesity, when subjects went food shopping, those who had slept for lesser hours bought 1300 worth of extra calories than those who had slept for longer. Not just this, another interesting research pointed out that well rested people choose to consume smaller portion sizes which is at least 35 calories lesser than the amount preferred by less-sleeping subjects.

Reason 4 - Lesser Stress And More Focus

A good and long sleep helps in regulating your ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for inhibiting weak behaviour and keeping your brain focused. So in the presence of high-calories foods, you can stick to your strong willpower and prevent weight gain. Additionally, according to research led by the Harvard Medical School sleep deprivation triggers the stress hormone cortisol, which directly increases our fat storage leading to weight gain. 
 

Here's What To Do To Increase Your Sleep Time

Even the most determined minds can fall in the trap of overeating when if they aren't sleeping for 7-9 hours. If you are looking to lose weight, here are some simple tips that will help you sleep more and get to shape faster.

1. Eat foods rich in Tryptophan, a sleep inducing hormone. This includes nuts, fish, chicken, eggs, lentils and avocados.

2. Sitting down to sip some tea signals your body to relax and slow down. Teas like lavender, mint, tulsi and chamomile are very effective in melting away your fat.

3. Insoluble fiber, like in brown rice and whole grains have important nutrients required for a longer and deeper sleep. Make sure you eat these in lunch time for better results.

With just a few more hours of sleep, you can be well on your way to weight loss.

COMMENT