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Most of us would probably agree that a healthy diet, enough sleep and regular exercise are the best ways to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight long-term.
But let’s be honest. Do we exercise regularly? No. Do we always eat healthily? No. Do we sleep every day? Yes.
If sleep is the only regular habit among those three things, then what could be better than losing weight while you sleep?
These may be somewhat unconventional approaches, but after reading this article you’ll admit it makes sense. So let’s get to it.
Here are 9 things that will help your body lose weight while your mind sleeps.
1. Drink a protein beverage before bed
Prepare and drink a protein shake about 30 minutes before going to bed.
Research has confirmed that proteins help the body burn more calories while at rest. In other words, they increase basal metabolic rate.
Proteins also help repair muscles that may have been damaged during the day. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.
2. Eat a small dinner
Avoid large portions of food in the evening and under no circumstances eat right before bed (except for the protein shake mentioned in the previous point).
If you eat late at night, the growth hormone will convert that food more into fat than into energy (since during rest the body does not have a large energy demand).
3. Avoid alcohol in the evening
Drinking alcohol close to the time you go to bed means your body will be processing it during sleep. However, this prevents you from reaching so-called REM sleep, during which the body burns the most calories.
A glass of wine with dinner is fine. Remember, though, that you should stop drinking alcohol at least 3 hours before sleep.
4. Do nothing else in bed but sleep
We all know that an optimal amount of sleep is necessary for maintaining good health.
Busy daily schedules, movies, mobiles or tablets, however, get in the way of this goal.
If you get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, you help your body burn as many calories as possible.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found in one study that a well-rested body burns up to 20% more calories after a meal than a sleep-deprived body.
Therefore set a time in the evening to go to bed and then just sleep. No watching movies on TV or checking news on Facebook.
5. Don’t exercise right before bed
Exercise wakes the body up, which then causes problems falling asleep.
Move your workouts to the morning instead, when physical activity jumpstarts your body and keeps it energetic throughout the rest of the day.
If you prefer to exercise in the evening, don’t do it less than 3 to 4 hours before going to bed.
6. Turn off all electronics during the night
Research conducted at Harvard University found that short-wavelength light (so-called blue light) from TV screens, smartphones, computers, and even alarm clocks limits the production of the important sleep hormone melatonin.
Another study from Singapore revealed that prolonged screen time increases levels of harmful triglycerides in the blood, which are associated with diabetes.
Furthermore, it leads to lower levels of adiponectin – a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels and fat metabolism in the body.
7. Lower the temperature in your bedroom
Sleeping in a slightly cool room increases the efficiency of brown fat stores, especially in the abdominal area.
Brown fat is a form of fat that the body uses to produce energy to maintain a stable body temperature.
A study published in the medical journal Diabetes showed that people sleeping in rooms with temperatures below 19 degrees Celsius burned up to 75% more calories during the night than people in warmer rooms.
8. Sleep in complete darkness
Sleeping in complete darkness helps the body produce the aforementioned melatonin, which induces deep and quality sleep.
It also helps mitochondria (the cell’s power plants) located in tissues that store brown fat.
9. Sleep naked
We recently wrote in more detail about the benefits of sleeping naked in another one of our articles.
Although it may sound strange, sleeping this way has many health benefits. Among other things, it increases the proportion of good fats in the body and burns more calories.
Conclusion
The tips given in this article will help you lose weight more or less effortlessly during your sleep.
However, this of course does not mean that you can now stop exercising or start eating poorly. Following all three principles will make your weight loss easier and, most importantly, sustainable.
