This one’s a lazy people hack! No, it doesn’t mean you can eat all you want, binge on unhealthy food and not exercise! Sleep is just an essential factor in your weight loss process. No matter how many hours you exercise and how often you count your calories, it won’t get you anywhere unless you manage to get sufficient sleep as well. Some studies show that inadequate sleep could hinder the weight loss process by 55 percent! Another research indicates that people who sleep less than 7 hours per night gain more weight over time and find it harder to work off. So bottom line, YOU NEED SLEEP. Now here are some reasons (and excuses) to hit the snooze button and stay cozy in bed!
Sleeping helps your burn calories
Not only will you have more energy after being well rested, but also your body will burn off more calories even when you’re not working out. A study shows that normal sleepers tend to burn off 5 percent higher calories than those you do not get enough sleep (and this is just resting energy!). They also manage to burn off 20 percent more calories after a meal versus their counter parts.
Sleeping helps avoid mid night snacks
Midnight snacks are the worst calories that you can consume. You end up eating 500 calories between 11pm-4 am either out of boredom or out of actual hunger. These unnecessary calories eventually add up to almost a kg a week! That’s like 4 kg’s a month just because you’re not sleeping on time. Basically, sleep affects levels of leptin i.e a hunger regulating hormone which helps your body realize it’s full. Not getting adequate sleep lowers levels of leptin which will cause over eating simply due to lack of sleep.
Sleeping helps reduce stress
Sleeping reduces the stress hormone, cortisol which when elevated leads to fat storage. Stress manifests as unhealthy habits (as skipping exercise, binge eating, sacrifice night sleep) and weight gain. A short nap recharges the system, helps in relaxation and shuts off stress.
This article is brought to you by Health Library in collaboration with Grow Fit that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle through expert nutritionists.
