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.
Role Of Sleep Duration And Quality On Weight Loss
If youre trying to lose weight, the chances are that exercise and diet are the areas that have got your focus.
However, youd be surprised to learn that how long and well you sleep also influences your weight. A study found that people who slept for about five hours or less were more likely to become obese than those who got between seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
Hunger hormones such as leptin and ghrelin seem to be the link between sleep and weight loss. Sleep deprivation could throw these hormones out of balance which could affect your appetite and increase your cravings for sweet foods.
So, if youre trying to lose weight in the long run, you might want to include a good nights rest as part of your strategies.
Here are a few tips to improve your sleep experience if youre finding it difficult to go to bed at night:
- Turn off the lights. That includes your phones and computers as blue light from these devices could affect your bodys melatonin production, which helps regulate your bodys sleep-wake cycle.
- Set a bedtime and stick to it. Developing a regular sleep schedule could help improve your sleep quality.
- Stay cool. You might find that youll sleep better when the temperatures are around 6670°F.
- Try relaxing. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, tea, and soothing music could help you fall asleep quicker and improve your sleep quality.
Can You Lose Weight By Sleeping For Longer
Youre exhausted. So tired you dont know how youre going to get through the rest of the day. You need that energy hit and reach for the foods you know will give it to you carbs, chocolate and a sugary caffeinated drink.
Sound familiar?
Whether its external factors or lifes stresses that keep you tossing and turning all night, when youve not caught many zzzs, its easy to reach for foods you ordinarily avoid.
What happens if this is a frequent occurrence? Will you inevitably always opt for the wrong food and be more likely to gain weight? If you try to lose extra pounds, will you find it harder because your tiredness saps your motivation? And does a good nights sleep mean youll more often than not opt for food packed with nutrients that could aid weight loss? Most importantly, if youre struggling with sleep and sticking to a diet, what can you do to improve both?
We looked into the science and received some advice for sufferers too
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Is There A Better Way To Lose Weight While Sleeping
Yes. So what could be a better way to lose weight than to do so while we sleep? Bright Side introduces you to 9 amazing ways to actively lose weight more effectively while you sleep comfortably. 9. Drink a protein shake before going to sleep. Drink a shake with about 30 grams of protein before heading to bed.
Limit Caffeine After Lunch
While I love a cup of coffee in the mornings, I’m careful to avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening. I thought this was enough to avoid caffeine-related sleep issues, but that may not be the case. Turns out, caffeine can remain in the body for 6 to 9 hours after it’s consumed. For those sensitive to caffeine, this can make falling asleep difficult. And, even if it doesn’t seem to prevent you falling asleep, having remnants of the stimulant in the body can decrease the amount of deep sleep you get.
Weight Loss Tip: If you regularly consume caffeine, moderate consumption in the first half of the day will have little impact, but try to limit intake starting in the early afternoon. Also, watch out for any medications or supplements you take in the evening that may contain caffeine.
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If Youre On A Diet Will You Lose More Weight If Youre Getting Eight Hours Sleep
Having spent years studying the relationship between exercise, weight management and health, UCLAs Dr. Christopher B. Cooper, together with a team at the university , carried out research that focused on weight, nutrition, exercise and sleep.
Over 12 weeks, two groups followed the same exercise and nutrition programme, but one also received a behavioural modification programme a major part of which was sleep training. By the end of the study, the group without the additional training had lost on average 1.3 kilograms of fat mass. The group who received the additional training had lost 2.3 kilograms.
Dr. Cooper explains: We were unable to demonstrate that wed improved sleep quality, but intriguingly we improved exercise performance, aerobic quality including oxygen uptake and body composition. We saw significant reductions in the percentage of body fat at the end of the exercise training programme that had incorporated sleep training.
However, says Dr. Cooper, there is still a lot of work to be done in the field. Common sense shows us there has to be a relationship between sleep, weight management, exercise and other aspects of behaviour. Lots of studies in our review articles clearly demonstrate associations, but its a much greater challenge to prove cause and effect. More studies are definitely required.
Evidence Points To A Link Between Poor Sleep And Obesity
If we make poor food choices when were tired, does it follow that repeatedly not getting enough sleep could lead to issues with weight gain and obesity?
There are enough big signals about what pre-empts weight gain and Type 2 diabetes that we can say if youre not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, it strongly looks likely it will cause a problem, says Professor Scott.
Research that backs this up has been produced by Dr Erin Hanlon, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, and her colleagues. In 2016, they wanted to see if sleep deprivation impacts chemical signals which, in turn, make people crave high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods.
With existing research often focussing on how poor sleep impacts levels of the hormones ghrelin and leptin , the scientists wanted to measure another chemical signal: endocannabinoid which is associated with making us crave highly-palatable foods.
Their study found that when sleep deprived, the participants eCB levels were increased and amplified. The result? The participants started reaching for unhealthy snacks because they didnt feel full.
Looking back at the study and other research carried out, Dr Hanlon says I personally feel confident there is a link between sleep deficiency and increased feeding, and moreover that sleep deficiency is one of the contributing factors in the rise in obesity.
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Get A Good Nights Sleep
How to lose weight overnight? It might really be as simple as hitting the sack on time to combat weight gain. Research presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in 2017 suggests that sleep loss causes the body to produce fewer fullness hormones, like GLP-1, and more of the hunger-promoting ghrelin. The same is true of night-shift workers. This could mean that when youre tired, youre more likely to feel hungry, leading to consumption of more calories than your body actually needs. Here are 50 other weight-loss breakthroughs your doctor wishes you knew.
Drink A Casein Protein Shake
Feed your hungry muscles by trading whey for casein in your post-workout shake. This slow-release protein is gradually digested over 8 hours and keeps your metabolic fires burning through the night.
Dutch researchers also say that casein enhances protein synthesis, which helps you cut an extra 35 calories a day for every pound of new muscle gained.
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Maximize Your Bodys Fat
Your body is always burning calories to keep your involuntary nervous system workingpumping blood, breathing, digesting food, and all the other life-sustaining jobs it performs. Youve probably already heard that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body is burning at rest, but did you know that you could also burn calories and fat while you sleep? With some minor tweaks to your daily habits, you can unleash the full potential of your bodys natural fat-burning ability while you sleep.
Follow these simple suggestions from nutrition and health experts to maximize fat burning while you snooze and improve the overall quality of your sleep.
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‘overnight Diet’ Promises Weight Loss While You Sleep
Amy Frankel wanted to lose weight, so she tried the Overnight Diet, a new rapid weight-loss plan that claims you can actually lose weight while you sleep.
Frankel, a 42-year-old mother of one from Wayland, Mass., said she literally lost weight overnight, and during the course of the diet went from 174 pounds to 125 pounds.
“You are burning calories and losing weight and you are not starving yourself and you’re not ever feeling deprived. It wasn’t difficult,” said Frankel, who said she went from wearing size 10 and 12 to a size 4 in about a year of doing the diet, which she’s now adopted as a way of life.
Dr. Caroline Apovian, an obesity doctor and the author of the new book, ” The Overnight Diet,” explained the regimen. Users do six days of a high protein diet and one day of a liquid diet. That, combined with sleep, equals weight loss, she claims.
“You can lose up to two pounds overnight. And then for the six days, you can lose up to nine pounds in one week after the first week,” said Apovian, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and the director of nutrition and weight management at Boston Medical Center.
“That first night, you go to sleep, you sleep your eight hours, you are down two pounds,” she said. “If you continue to get enough sleep every night, you won’t get those hunger pangs. The hunger pangs come from lack of sleep, which induces the hunger hormone to get secreted from your gut.”
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Make Sleep A Priority
According to the CDC, 1 in 3 people dont get enough sleep. This is because of our hectic schedules, stress, and distractions. But if youre serious about losing weight, you should make bedtime a priority. Getting enough hours of sleep can actually help your body burn more fat. In fact, a recent study showed that well-rested folks burned 20% more calories than those who didnt sleep well.
Calories Burned During Sleep
The body continues to burn calories when youre sleeping because it needs energy to keep the brain, heart, lungs and all other vital systems working. Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the term used to define the number of calories required to maintain internal physiological functions while you sleep. Another common term often used synonymously with BMR resting metabolic rate, or RMR measures energy used at rest during any time of the day.
In one hour of sleep, most people burn approximately 0.3 calories for every pound of body weight. For example, a 150-pound person would multiply 150 by 0.3 to get 45 calories used in one hour of sleep. After eight hours of sleep, that person has burned 360 calories. 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, its possible for a 150-pound person to lose a little more than 1/2 pound weekly by burning those 369 calories every night. The number of calories lost may be significantly more or less, depending on how much you weigh and how long you sleep.
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Weight Loss: Can You Shed Extra Kilos During Sleep
According to a study, lack of sleep can lead to a decrease in metabolic rate and energy expenditure by 20%. If you sleep for less than eight hours, your stress levels and hormone cortisol may increase. These can have a negative impact on the microbes present in the gut. Lack of sleep can lead to disturbance in the hunger hormones that might lead to eating a lot of junk food. Also Read 4 Simple Tricks to Keep Weight Under Check During The Festive Season
Dont Wait To Seek Care
When it comes to sleep and weight, early intervention is key for preventing harm and reclaiming quality of life. With adequate treatment, sleep apnea carries an excellent prognosis. And its never too late, or too early, to take an active approach to weight control. If you think you may have sleep apnea, its important to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment options.
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Can Lack Of Sleep Increase Appetite
One common hypothesis about the connection between weight and sleep involves how sleep affects appetite. While we often think of appetite as simply a matter of stomach grumbling, its actually controlled by neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate with one another.
The neurotransmitters ghrelin and leptin are thought to be central to appetite. Ghrelin promotes hunger, and leptin contributes to feeling full. The body naturally increases and decreases the levels of these neurotransmitters throughout the day, signaling the need to consume calories.
A lack of sleep may affect the bodys regulation of these neurotransmitters. In one study, men who got 4 hours of sleep had increased ghrelin and decreased leptin compared to those who got 10 hours of sleep. This dysregulation of ghrelin and leptin may lead to increased appetite and diminished feelings of fullness in people who are sleep deprived.
In addition, several studies have also indicated that sleep deprivation affects food preferences. Sleep-deprived individuals tend to choose foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates.
Other hypotheses regarding the connection between sleep and increased appetite involve the bodys endocannabinoid system and orexin, a neurotransmitter targeted by some sleep aids.
Staying Active At Day
Regular exercising will help in losing weight. But, don’t exercise at least four hours before going to bed, as exercising will wake your body up while sleeping, making it hard to achieve a deep sleep and can cause a restless night of tossing and turning. So, stay active during the day and avoid exercising at night.
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Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome And Sleep Apnea
OSA frequently coexists in people with obesity hypoventilation syndrome . In OHS, excess weight puts pressure against a persons chest wall, compressing their lungs, and therefore interfering with their ability to take deep, well-paced breaths. Up to 90% of people with OHS also have sleep apnea, but not everyone with OSA has OHS. OHS risk is correlated to BMI, with prevalence rising to almost 50% in those whose BMI is greater than 50.
Like sleep apnea, OHS can cause high blood pressure and heart failure, and it can decrease oxygen while elevating carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Patients afflicted with both of these conditions have a significant risk of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, OSA patients with severe OHS have an increased risk of death.
May Help You Make Better Food Choices
Getting a full nights sleep may help you make healthier food choices.
Lack of sleep alters the way your brain works and can affect decision making. This may make it harder to make healthy food choices and resist tempting foods .
In addition, it appears that the reward centers of the brain are more stimulated by food when you are sleep deprived .
For example, one study found that sleep deprived participants had greater reward-related brain responses after viewing images of high calorie foods. Interestingly, they were also more likely to pay more for food than those who had adequate sleep .
Therefore, after a night of poor sleep, not only is that bowl of ice cream more rewarding, but youll likely have a harder time practicing self-control.
Another study showed that sleep deprivation led to increased smell sensitivity to high calorie foods and greater consumption .
Furthermore, lack of sleep may lead to poorer food choices, such as a higher intake of foods high in calories, sugar, and fat, to compensate for feeling a lack of energy .
Summary
Poor sleep can decrease your self-control and decision making abilities, as well as increase your brains reaction to food. Poor sleep has also been linked to an increased intake of foods high in calories, fats, and sugar.
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Achieve Higher Ketone Levels
Warning:Not recommended for people with type 1 diabetes, see below.
Weve now arrived at tip number 16. If youre still having trouble losing weight, despite following the 15 pieces of advice listed above, it might be a good idea to bring out a controversial option: higher ketone levels. Why is it controversial? For most people, low or higher ketone levels dont make a difference for health and weight loss, and in general we do not recommend shooting for a specific ketone level.71 However, for some people stalling at weight plateaus while on a low carb diet, trying to raise ketone levels may be of benefit.
So how does this work? A quick run-through: The first tip was to eat low carb. This is because a low-carb diet lowers your levels of the fat-storing hormone insulin, allowing your fat deposits to release their stored energy and shrink.72
This tends to cause you to want to consume fewer calories than you expend without hunger and lose weight.73 Several of the tips mentioned earlier are about fine-tuning your diet to better this effect.
Ketosis
Ketosis is a state in which the body is efficiently burning fat. Even the brain runs on fat, in the form of ketone bodies. These are energy molecules in the blood which become fuel for our brains after being converted from fat by the liver.74
Measuring ketones
Here are a few pointers on how to interpret blood ketone results:
Ketones in urine
How to achieve higher ketone levels
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