If you don’t sleep well, you may not only feel grumpy, but also gain weight. Studies show that sleeping less than eight hours a night makes your body produce more of the stress hormone cortisol, which affects the microbes in your gut and slows down your metabolism.
Men’s Health reported before that just one bad night of sleep can lower your metabolism the next morning, making you burn up to 20 percent less energy, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Not sleeping well can also mess up your hunger hormones, making you crave junk food. A 2017 UK review and meta-analysis found that people who slept 5.5 hours or less per night ate 385 more calories throughout the day than those who slept for at least seven to 12 hours.
With less sleep, you’re also more likely to snack late at night, which could ruin your weight loss goals. Men’s Health reported before that Eating carbs in the evening leads to metabolic problems, because the body is more resistant to insulin at night, said Aaron Cypess, MD, PhD, in a previous interview.
This can cause a higher blood sugar, which can lead to weight gain and other complications. Protein doesn’t work here either—it only takes a few extra steps for protein to be turned into carbs and fat. Any extra calories at night will be stored as fat, so eat dinner early and keep snacking light.
Luckily, you can change course and keep your metabolism working overnight with a good night’s sleep using these simple steps.
Lift weights at night Go straight from your desk to the weight rack after work and you can increase your metabolic rate for up to 16 hours, according to a recent study in Diabetologia.
Drink a casein protein shake Feed your hungry muscles by switching whey for casein in your post-workout shake. This slow-release protein is slowly digested over 8 hours and keeps your metabolic fires burning through the night.
Dutch researchers also say that casein improves protein synthesis, which helps you cut an extra 35 calories a day for every pound of new muscle gained.
Take a cold shower A cold shower does more than wash away lactic acid after the gym. Research in PLoS ONE finds that a 30-second chill is all it takes to activate your body’s brown adipose tissue, or brown fat—which, when heated up, melts as much as an extra 400 calories in bed.
Make sure you wet your head under the faucet: More brown fat is stored in the back of your neck and shoulders.
Drink green tea The flavonoids in green tea boost your metabolism—and if it’s your third cup of the day, you’ll burn 3.5 percent more calories overnight, according to a 2016 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Don’t worry about caffeine content. Green tea will help you stay awake for the news at 10, but not all night.
Sleep in a colder room Turning up the radiator at night wastes more than your gas bill.
Research from the National Institutes of Health says that turning down your thermostat to a cool 66 degrees Fahrenheit cuts 7 percent more calories, as your body burns fat to keep its core temperature.
Sometimes, you may not eat for a long time during the day or week. This is called Intermittent Fasting (IF). You may not eat anything for up to 16 hours a day. For example, you may stop eating at 7pm at night, and then start eating again at 11am the next day.
When we eat, our body makes more of the hormone insulin, which helps store fat. When we don’t eat, our body makes less insulin, and we start to use up the fat we have stored. Low levels of insulin tell the body to start burning its stored fat, explains Samantha McKinney, Registered Dietitian at Life Time, RD, a registered dietician at Life Time, a national fitness company with over 150 locations. Also, fasting makes our cells make new mitochondria — and the more mitochondria we have, the more fuel we burn. There is a direct link between mitochondria and metabolism. Your mitochondria take carbs and other nutrients and burn them for energy.
There are not many studies on how IF affects humans; some studies have found that IF is not better than eating less calories every day. But the clear, simple rules—a daily time of not eating—can be easier to follow than other weight loss plans.
Sleep is also important for weight loss, even if you don’t burn a lot of fat from sleep alone.
For example, a 2018 studyTrusted Source found that not sleeping well can make it harder to lose fat and lose weight, especially when you are eating less calories.
Read on to learn more about losing weight while sleeping, including how it happens and how not sleeping well may affect weight loss.
When people lose water as they sleep, they lose weight without knowing it. This is because they lose water through breathing, sweating, and going to the bathroom.
Health experts say that water loss from breathing and sweating alone can make up to 83% of weight loss during sleep.
The amount of water that people lose during the night will be different because not everyone has the same metabolism.
Can not sleeping well affect weight loss? Not sleeping well can change many things in your body, including your hunger.
One 2017 reviewTrusted Source reported that people who slept at different times had bigger appetites and ate more unhealthy food than those who did not.
This means changing sleep times could make it harder to manage your weight.
A 2016 study found that nurses who worked at night gained more weight than those who worked during the day.
Also, not sleeping enough can also increase the riskTrusted Source of metabolic syndrome, where you have many problems at the same time. These problems can make you more likely to get heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
These problems include Trusted Source:
too much fat around your belly low levels of good cholesterol high levels of fat in your blood high blood sugar high blood pressure To avoid these problems, you can try to keep a healthy weight. It is also important that you get enough sleep and eat healthy food to prevent more serious conditions like heart disease.
When a person sleeps better, they are more likely to keep a healthy weight.
For example, a 2021 studyTrusted Source says that people with sleep apnoea lost more body weight and fat over a year when they slept better.
Researchers have also foundTrusted Source that sleeping less makes you eat more for pleasure. When you eat for pleasure, you eat more unhealthy food. Over time, this can make you eat more calories and less nutritious food.
On the other hand, when you sleep more, you are less likely to eat for pleasure and crave unhealthy food.
Also, a 2021 study found that students who slept better ate less for pleasure. This means that people eat fewer calories after a good night’s sleep and make healthier food choices because they do not have the urge to eat food for fun.
Learn more about how to get a good night’s sleep.
How to sleep better to support weight loss Sleep hygiene is a term that means a healthy sleep routine.
There are some things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene, such asTrusted Source:
Be consistent: Going to bed at the same time every night makes your body ready for sleep. Waking up at the same time every day means you are tired enough to fall asleep when it is time to sleep. You should try to sleep for 7–8 hours every day. Make your bedroom comfortable: A dark bedroom will help you feel more sleepy. Try to turn off all TVs and computers before going to bed. You can also fall asleep faster if you keep laptops or cell phones out of the bedroom. Avoid big meals before bedtime: You are not likely to feel sleepy when your body is digesting a lot of food. Also, when you drink caffeinated drinks, you are more alert and awake. So, you should avoid drinking these before bedtime. Stay active: When you are physically active during the day, you feel more tired, because your body is using more energy. Learn more about good sleep hygiene.
How to make healthy habits to lose weight If you want to keep a healthy weight, you need to eat and sleep well.
But, changing your habits and making healthier choices can be hard, and sometimes you stick with some changes more than others.
Here are some ideasTrusted Source you can use to start making healthier choices and habits.
Write a contract: Writing down your weight loss goal in the form of a contract can help you understand why you want to lose weight. For example, you may have a family history of heart disease. The contract can also include details on how you will lose weight, such as running twice a week or cooking healthy meals on the weekend.
Keep a food diary: Writing down what you eat during the day will help you better understand what you are eating, so you can make mindful choices, such as choosing frozen yogurt over ice cream.
Track your progress: You can track your progress and health-related achievements. This does not have to be only about weight and could also include things like running for 2 miles without feeling out of breath.Summary People do lose weight during sleep. But, this is mostly because of water loss through breathing and sweating.
While you do not burn a lot of fat during sleep, sleep is very important for your well-being, and not sleeping enough can makeTrusted Source it harder to keep a healthy weight.
Sleeping well helps weight loss because you may notice that you want less unhealthy food when you sleep better.
If you want to sleep better, you can improve your sleep hygiene.