Shrink Your Size by Sleeping More

While at the gym the other day I was flipping through a magazine trying to make my hour’s worth of cardio go faster and I stumbled upon an article that I am sure will surprise many people. Most people, for one reason or another, do not get enough sleep during the week and it is widely known that lack of sleep can promote weight gain, but can sleep promote weight loss? A number of recent studies are proving that with a little bit of effort, sleeping more every night can actually cause weight or inch loss over a period of time.

With American obesity at a steep incline, especially among children, some experts think that not getting enough hours of shut eye each night can ultimately be the culprit. Sleep deprivation has already proven that it messes with the hormones that control hunger, the metabolism of fat inside your body, and most importantly your hormones. When those three parts of your brain are affected because your body has not had enough time to rest properly, chances are your appetite isn’t controlled and your hormones are fueling the way you eat. Cravings tend to kick in when you are the most tired and the temptation to snack unhealthily becomes almost unbearable.

Researchers at the University of Chicago conducted a study about the harm of snacking when sleep deprivation is present. The participants in the study were allowed one night of five and a half hours of sleep and the next eight and a half and then the scientists recorded the number of snacks each volunteer consumed the following day. On average, the participants ate over 200 calories more on the days when they were sleepy. Researchers then translated those calories into almost a whole pound of added fat over two weeks.

Author of Beauty Sleep, and expert medical advisor for the volunteers in the article, Dr. Michael Breus says that the reasons are scientific rather than emotional where hormones are concerned, “When women are deprived of sleep, they have an increase in ghrelin—what we call the ‘go’ hormone—because it makes you want to go eat more,” he continues by saying that the reminder to quit eating is also diminished with less sleep, “[people] also have a drop in leptin, the ‘stop’ hormone that tells you to stop when you’re full.”

The six women shown in the magazine dropped a cumulative weight of 50 pounds over just ten weeks with the only rule that they need to get at least seven and a half hours of sleep per night. Although altering your schedule to make time to sleep more could be tough, the willing participants felt better, had more energy, experienced fewer cravings, and noticed changes in their body quickly by the way their clothes fit and how they carried themselves when they were well-rested.

By sleeping less and stressing more, your body cannot break down fat as quickly and it ends up creeping up your thighs, around your stomach, under your arms, and other places people tend to store fat. To be able to lose 6, 7, 10, or even 15 pounds in less than three months sounds fantastic especially with summer coming up.

So, are you up for the challenge? According to the experts, these are the rules that keep your eyes closed longer and your body slimmer faster than normal eating right and exercising routines: go to bed and wake up at the same time each day; keep a routine before sleeping so you can fall asleep quicker like bathing, reading, or meditating and stick to it; limit your caffeine after noon and watch your alcohol intake a few hours before bedtime; the last step is to figure out exactly how many hours a night your body can withstand.

Just like the moral of the story of Goldilocks and her bears: too much sleep can cause fatigue and over-exhaustion and make your day miserable and unproductive whereas too little sleep cause weight gain and over-eating patterns, find what works for you and sleep better so you can fit into that bikini or favorite pair of pants for your vacation.