By: Ana Margarita Olar | Vigorbuddy.com
Did you know that you can lose weight even while you are sleeping?
It may sound unbelievable but here are some reasons why you have to get a goodnight sleep if you want to lose weight:
Sleep helps you lose weight faster by burning calories.
A good quality sleep ensures enough energy to beat a tough day but it offers more: you burn calories better when you sleep. One study from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that the amount of calories burned when you are well rested was 5 % higher than those who are tired. Also, participants who slept well burned 25 % more calories after eating their meals than those who are sleep-deprived.
Sleeping helps you forget about midnight snacks.
Another way that sleep helps you lose weight faster is by preventing you from eating late night snacks. Because the longer you stay awake, the higher the chance that you’ll consume extra calories that turn into fat.
Another study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found out that when people lacks sleep and rest, their appetite for late night snack is increased and also, they are more likely opt for high-carb snacks.
Sleep helps the brain to opt for healthier foods.
A good quality sleep or the lack of it influences your decision-making ability with regards to eating healthy foods.
A study at Columbia University found that people who lacked sleep have increased activity in the insular cortex, a part of the brain that regulates pleasure seeking behaviors.
Increased activity of this part leads to eating junk foods rather than healthy foods. So when you have a goodnight sleep, you are more likely to eat healthy foods, helping you lose weight faster.
Sleep facilities portion control.
A study from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that sleeping for a shorter period of time at might prompts people to eat bigger portions or slice of foods, leading to weight gain. Also, it has been found out that lack of sleep results in cravings for high carbohydrate foods.
A quality sleep prevents mood swings and laziness.
Being unable to sleep leaves you feeling tired and moody. This feeling of laziness gets in the way of your fitness routine. Whereas if you have a goodnight sleep, you have more energy to do your workout and more disciplined with your diet.
Losing weight is not about depriving yourself from much-needed calories, or by punishing yourself while trying to burn fat.
It’s all about a balanced diet (not too much and not too little) and maintaining the balance between exercise and rest.