What if You Could Lose Weight in Your Sleep? Science Says You Can!

What if You Could Lose Weight in Your Sleep? Science Says You Can!

We humans have always been conscious of our body weight. Probably because we still consider bodyweight as a sign of overall health: More weight = unhealthy and vice versa. And we do a lot of stuff ranging from constantly switching to different diets, yoga, gym, and even expensive treatments. Amidst all these, we often lose sight of the most important factor that helps us lose weight - sleep. Yes, sleep! Multiple studies suggest sufficient sleep can supplement your efforts to lose weight, doing absolutely nothing. You can just go to sleep and wake up lighter.

Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it?
Doing nothing and shedding those extra pounds while everyone else is sweating their calories out! But, you must be wondering if there’s any actual scientific evidence that approves the claim? The answer is YES. Let’s take a look.

  • Lack of sleep affects metabolism. Sleep is directly linked to two of the important hormones which are responsible for regulating hunger and appetite - Ghrelin and Leptin. Ghrelin is appetite-stimulating i.e. it signals the brain that you are hungry and you need to eat. Leptin is responsible for suppressing hunger i.e. tell the brain that you are full and you must stop eating. Sleep deprivation disrupts the level of these two hormones inside our body - Ghrelin levels go up by 15% and Leptin levels go down by 15% - resulting in overeating. In other words, if you sleep enough, that is 7-8 hours a day, your body will be able to suppress hunger and expend energy, leading to a drop in your body weight.
  • Sleep deprivation also impacts the body’s sensitivity to insulin. For instance, skimping sleep reduces the body’s insulin sensitivity by 30%, leading to extra production of the hormone for maintaining the blood sugar level, further stimulating the body to store more fat.
  • Additionally, it’s harder to follow the same workout schedule with a tired mind. You may be able to complete your routine but it won’t be as effective. Besides, we all know we make more bad decisions when we are sleepy, especially when it comes to food. Thus, if you don’t sleep enough, you won’t be able to resist the temptation of that extra piece of dessert or the grease-dipped chole-bhature and other street food.
  • A study also revealed that sleep deprivation leads to increased cravings for high carb, energy- dense, and bigger portions of foods. Thus, don’t be surprised if you end up craving late-night snacking and choose high-carb snacks after a few sleepless nights.

Summing up, lack of sleep is the first step towards weight gain. Thus, sleep well for sufficient hours and let your body do the magic. However, if you feel you are already sleeping for sufficient hours yet feeling sleep deprived or gaining weight, it’s your mattress that is to be blamed. Take a look at our amazing mattresses and choose the one that’s right for you.

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