Could getting sufficient sleep be a key to weight loss? The answer is an emphatic yes.
Al I hear about are diets, diets, and diets. But what if I told you that there is a way to lose weight without appealing to a restrictive diet? Imagine that you could lose weight by simply lying in bed.
Maybe I have oversold it as there is a catch: You have to be asleep. Historical studies inform us that if we put you in a sleep laboratory and limit your sleep to four to five hours each night, you’ll consume more calories the following day.
But why do we eat more when we are sleep-deprived? Is it the fatigue that drives us, or is it something else? Will we decrease our caloric intake if we sleep more?
Thanks to a recently published study from the University of Chicago (USA), we have some answers.
Sleep and weight loss: Study details
Sleep expert Dr. Esra Tasali and colleagues randomized 80 overweight volunteers getting less than 6.5 hours of sleep per night to receive either personalized sleep recommendations (to extend sleep) versus nothing but routine study visits.
Here’s where we need to take a detour, as I want to share with you the very doable recommendations offered by the researchers:
- Create a routine for bedtime
- Avoid electronic use in bed. No more television or cell phone use.
- Decrease the ambient light.
- Drop your caffeine intake.
- Get more exercise.
One more thing — each study participant got goal bedtime and wake-up times.
Did these sleep recommendations work? Please go here to learn more:
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