Sleep Really Does Affect Weight Loss
We tend to store a lot of fat around our middles if were exposed to high and prolonged periods of stress.
Stress comes in many different forms but the effect on our metabolisms is basically the same.
If youre disproportionately storing more fat around your lower belly, then you need to start thinking about reducing your stress levels and getting a good nights sleep.
Can Sleep Help You Lose Weight Overnight
Most of your overnight weight loss can be attributed to the water you lose through sweating and breathing. Though many of the most effective weight loss strategies focus on diet and exercise alone, early research suggests that the quality and quantity of your sleep may also play a big role in your body ability to regulate its weight.
Do Nighttime Fat Burners Work
Yes, nighttime fat burners work, especially those based on natural ingredients with proven fat loss properties. I honestly cannot stress this point more.There are so many products available today that claim to be the best for helping you lose several pounds a week without making any changes to your lifestyle. Believe me when I say such products arent real. However, with the right combination of proven day and night supplements, you may be able to boost your progress enough to maintain motivation and momentum.
Be sure to check out this video if you want to learn more
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Tips For Quality Sleep During Weight Loss
There are many ways to improve sleep. Here are a few research-based tips for sleeping better when youre trying to lose weight:
- Keep a regular sleep schedule: Big swings in your sleep schedule or trying to catch up on sleep after a week of late nights can cause changes in metabolism and reduce insulin sensitivity, making it easier for blood sugar to be elevated.
- Sleep in a dark room: Exposure to artificial light while sleeping, such as a TV or bedside lamp, is associated with an increased risk of weight gain and obesity.
- Dont eat right before bed: Eating late may reduce the success of weight loss attempts
- Reduce Stress: Chronic stress may lead to poor sleep and weight gain in several ways, including eating to cope with negative emotions
- Be an Early Bird: People with late bedtimes may consume more calories and be at a higher risk for weight gain. Early birds may be more likely to maintain weight loss when compared to night owls.
Eat Protein All Day Long
Feeding the body protein every few hours helps stabilize blood-sugar levels. And, this speeds up the metabolism all day long. Protein is for building muscle, and it will fill you up, preventing overeating and the urge to graze on processed foods full of empty calories that can inhibit weight loss.
James Collier, a U.K.-based nutritionist and co-founder of Huel.com , said that the body can only utilize around 30-35 grams of protein in one sitting. So if youre looking to build muscle, its important to include it in every meal. Lean meats like chicken and turkey breast are always an easy go-to, and plant-based options like beans, quinoa, nuts and edamame can help keep your meals interesting, while also adding a healthy dose of fiber .
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Eat Whole Grains At Lunch
You know to avoid big meals, coffee, colas, and alcohol before bed, but did you know that it’s best to eat your complex carbohydrates at lunchtime, not with dinner? “Serotonin converts to melatonin in your stage 3 REM sleep, and serotonin is sourced from whole-grain complex carbohydrates. So you don’t need to have carbs before bed to sleep, just have them at some point through the day,” says Cat Smiley, owner of Whistler Fitness Vacations, a weight-loss retreat for women.
Also, to meet your daily fiber goal, “about 20 grams of insoluble fiber is important to enable you to sleep, so aim to eat that daily, and you’ll ensure you can convert enough serotonin to sleep well.”
How Many Calories Do You Burn While Sleeping To Lose Weight
Calories Burned During Sleep. To lose 1 pound of weight, you need to expend 3,500 calories more than you consume. While the amount of food consumed must be restricted to create a calorie-deficit, it possible for a 150-pound person to lose about 1 pound weekly by burning those 500 calories every night.
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Lose Weight By Sleeping More
Sleeping in wont make you fat. In fact, a new study shows that more hours in the sack could help you slim down by reducing how much control your genes have on your weight.
The study, published in the journal Sleep, looked at the sleep patterns and body mass indexes of more than 1,000 twins. On average, the people in the study slept 7.2 hours a night, which falls within the National Sleep Foundations recommended 7-9 hours. People who slept less than seven hours a night, however, had a higher BMI than those who slept more than nine hours. Genetics also had a greater influence on the BMI of the short sleepers, with 70% of their bodyweight controlled by genes, compared to 32% for the long sleepers.
Bodyweight is shaped by many factorsboth genetic and environmentalthat combine to determine how much you weigh. Previous studies have shown that genes can influence weight by controlling many of your bodys functions, such as glucose metabolism, energy use, storage of fatty acids, and feeling full. By affecting those genes, sleep can also alter weight.
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Why Good Sleep Is Of Great Importance For Losing Weight
Even the best diet and hours of exercise will not help you with losing weight if you dont get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Sleep deprivation affects important hormones that are essential to lose weight. Low number of sleeping hours decreases leptin , increases ghrelin , and also shoots up cortisol . Without enough sleep, these hormones will go out of whack, you would wake up with a slow metabolism and a ravenous appetite, making you crave for sugary and high-calorie foods because your brain is looking for instant energy to make up for the lack of sleep. Also, lack of sleep makes such food more pleasurable. Listing out them all one by one:
Low Sleeping Hours Will Hamper Weight Loss in these ways:
To Get a good nights sleep stay away from blue light one hour before sleep because exposure to light and blue light from gadgets can disturb the circadian rhythm of the body. Also, make it a point to eat at least two to three hours before sleep because having dinnertime and bedtime too close to each other keeps the digestive system active and prevents you from having a good nights sleep. Also, calories from the food wouldnt get utilized at all because the metabolism is low, and most of it would get stored as fat in the body. Also, have your cup of coffee or green tea a few hours before hitting the sack.
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Sleep And The Brain: Theres A Party Vibe Going On Up Here
What happens in the brain during sleep deprivation has been extensively studied and itâs well-known that getting inadequate sleep can have quite profound effects on how our brains work. In a nutshell, we lose self-restraint and we crave pleasant things. Weâll explore why next.
Many studies use brain scans to look at how the brain responds to food or images when sleep-deprived compared to sleep-rested 151617. These studies can provide us with really detailed information about whatâs going on in which part of the brain during sleep deprivation.
When it comes to weight gain, brain imaging scans have shown that there are two key regions that are shown to be affected by sleep deprivation. These are theprefrontal cortex and the amygdala.
The prefrontal cortex is particularly sensitive to sleep deprivation15 and is important for:
- memory
- self-control 16.
When weâre sleep-deprived, activity in this region is reduced, so weâre not as good at making complex decisions and showing self-control and our willpower is reduced.
How Can Sleep Help With Weight Loss
Mid-morning munchies? Need. Sugar. Now? You sound tired! Whether its uncomfortable bedding or a snoring hubby getting in the way of you and a good nights kip, not clocking enough hours can lead to weight gain. How? Sleeping rebalances hormones that regulate your appetite like ghrelin and leptin to tell you when youre full and have had enough. When these are out of whack, its hard to stop after one biscuit. So, should you hit the gym to burn them off? Our sleep coach shakes his head. Under sleeping and pushing yourself to diet is a punishing approach Want to lose weight? Start with upping your amount of quality sleep. You will have more energy for working out, and those compulsive urges to eat junk food will disappear! You will naturally feel less anxious.
Another pesky side effect of lack of sleep. When we dont sleep, we feel more emotional, making us more prone to eat on our feelings. Hmm, regularly emptying the snack cupboard? It could be time to adopt a better sleeping routine. Starting with what to eat before bed!
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If You Eat At Night Keep It Small
While you shouldn’t go to bed starving , you also shouldn’t hit the sack completely stuffed. When you eat a large meal before bed, your body is working to digest it long into the nightand if your body is still worked up, so are you. The later you fall asleep, the less rest you’ll get, and you’ll wake up feeling groggy and more likely to reach for calorie-dense items.
Instead of eating a monster meal for dinner, try to keep portions about the same as your breakfast and lunch, especially if you eat dinner on the later side. “You want to eat your last meal at least an hour or two before going to bed,” says Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN.
How Does Sleep Affect Weight Loss
If youre dieting you may want to know – how does sleep affect weight loss?
Does sleep affect weight loss? It’s an important question, especially If you are dieting and exercising in a bid to shed some pounds. Good sleep is just as vital as moving and fueling our bodies, as it gives us time to rest and reset.
Professionals say that we should be getting on average 6-8 hours of sleep a night, but for many of us, stressful jobs, families or even technology means were not getting anything like that amount of sleep each night. When we dont get enough sleep it affects how we function and ultimately our eating habits. But can we lose calories as we sleep and how does lack of snoozing ultimately affect our appetite?
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Health Effects Of Sleep Apnea And Excess Weight
Deprived of sufficient, quality rest, sleep apnea sufferers experience significant stress on their cardiovascular, metabolic, and pulmonary systems. This may be particularly worrisome for obese people, because obesity can also elevate the risk of heart, lung, and metabolic problems, potentially compounding their health concerns.
Shut Down All Bedroom Electronics
Research conducted at Harvard University found that short-wavelength blue light emitted by tablets and smartphones prohibit the bodys production of the sleep-aiding hormone, melatonin. Another study conducted by Singapore based researchers found that long hours of television viewing caused higher levels of triglycerides and lower levels of adiponectin in the body.
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Reduced Odds Of Sleep Apnea
If youre overweight your doctor may have warned you about sleep apnea. Losing weight can help you reduce risk of developing this disease. Sleep apnea can wake you up in the middle of your night and affect sleep quality. Youre not as well-rested and you could end up falling asleep during the day or even behind the wheel of your car. This can be an incredibly debilitating disorder that a goodweight management plan can help you avoid or fix.
Tricks And Tips For A Better Nights Sleep
In todays world, snoozing can be difficult, particularly when all your screens lure you into staying up just a little longer.
The basics are pretty simple:
- Shut down your computer, cell phone, and TV at least an hour before you hit the sack.
- Save your bedroom for sleep and sex. Think relaxation and release, rather than work or entertainment.
- Create a bedtime ritual. It’s not the time to tackle big issues. Instead, take a warm bath, meditate, or read.
- Stick to a schedule, waking up and retiring at the same times every day, even on weekends.
- Watch what and when you eat. Avoid eating heavy meals and alcohol close to bedtime, which may cause heartburn and make it hard to fall asleep. And steer clear of soda, tea, coffee, and chocolate after 2 p.m. Caffeine can stay in your system for 5 to 6 hours.
- Turn out the lights. Darkness cues your body to release the natural sleep hormone melatonin, while light suppresses it.
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Sleep Less Weigh More
Numerous studies have looked at the link between sleep and weight. Overall, the results show that if we get less sleep than we need, our weight tends to increase2.
A recent clinical trial showed that when people were sleep-deprived:
- they ate significantly more calories.
- they had a preference for fatty foods.
- their energy expenditure did not change3.
Participants ate, on average, 300 extra calories per day when sleep-deprived and most of this extra intake was accounted for by fats.
Another study collated data from more than 170 participants subjected to partial sleep-deprivation and the results showed that just a single night of inadequate sleep led to eating, on average, an extra 385 calories the next day4.
Yet, while participants took in extra calories when sleep-deprived, they did not expend any extra energy. When this pattern continues for several days, the net result is weight gain. In fact, taking in as little as 200 extra calories a day can lead to meaningful weight gain.
To put this in perspective, one pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories. So fewer than 10 days of sleep-deprivation could lead to you gaining one pound of weight if you eat in a way that a sleep-deprived person would. Thatâs a potential gain of just under three stone per year!
Sleep Sabotages Gym Time
Unfortunately, the disastrous impact spreads beyond diet and into your workouts. No matter what your fitness goals are, having some muscle on your body is important. Muscle is the enemy of fatit helps you burn fat and stay young. But sleep is the enemy of muscle. Scientists from Brazil found that sleep debt decreases protein synthesis , causes muscle loss, and can lead to a higher incidence of injuries.
Just as important, lack of sleep makes it harder for your body to recover from exercise by slowing down the production of growth hormoneyour natural source of anti-aging and fat-burning that also facilitates recovery. This happens in two different ways:
If you’re someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise, not prioritizing sleep is like getting a physical exam with your father-in-law as the investigating physician: It will make something you don’t particularly enjoy almost unbearable. When you’re suffering from slept debt, everything you do feels more challenging, specifically your workouts.
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What Can You Do To Stop Eating Unhealthy Food When Youre Overtired
We are often keen to have a magic answer, but I would encourage stepping back and valuing and being kind to yourself, says British Dietetic Association spokesperson and dietitian, Aisling Pigott. Thats not to say she doesnt have tips that can help you during times of tiredness.
Try to regulate your meal pattern, as this supports energy levels and your ability to make healthy choices. Choose simple, easy-to-prepare meals with fruit or vegetables. Stay away from faddy or overly restrictive diets that can lead to over-eating, and sit down, relax and enjoy your meals with no computer, phone or laptop, she says.
And if youre after healthy, energy-boosting food, go for low-GI foods such as wholemeal carbohydrates, nuts and seeds and fruit and vegetables which will allow a slow release of energy without making you feel sluggish, says Pigott.
Best Sleeping Position For Weight Loss
Front, back, or side? Well, when it comes to a good nights sleep, they all have their uses. Sleeping on your back can be better for facial muscles. If youre after some cheeky cardio! While side sleeping can aid digestion and front sleeping can promote better alignment of the spine. Though when it comes to sleeping positions choose the one that is most comfortable, as this is whats going to help you get the best rest. And when it comes to losing weight, the better rested you are the stronger you will be whether its saying no to dessert or tackling a morning run. According to our sleep coach, Sleep underpins wellbeing mentally and physically Hear, hear!
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