How to lose weight in your sleep… Indeed, this article is about reaching your weight loss and fat burning goals with enough sleep.
Scientists found out that sleeping more is the best way to achieve your weight loss goals.
So if you’re plus-size and willing to slim your waist, you can take advantage of the after-dark weight loss ideas below:
Table of Contents
- 1 Correlation between sleep and weight loss
- 2 Enjoy a protein shake
- 3 Welcome and embrace the cold
- 4 Enjoy a hot shower
- 5 Skip your nightcap
- 6 Set strict kitchen hours
- 7 Invest in light-blocking curtains
- 8 Avoid light in the bedroom
- 9 Hide the tablet (leave it in the living room)
- 10 Avoid dark chocolate (and caffeine)
- 11 Turn off the unhealthy television
- 12 Dare to invest in a good pillow
- 13 Try whole grains as a lunch
- 14 Avoid large meals before going to bed
- 15 Relax before going to sleep
- 16 Plan a proper tea time
- 17 Try meat such as turkey or lamb
- 18 Increase your sexual activity: How to lose weight in your sleep
Correlation between sleep and weight loss
How many meals did you have yesterday? That’s right, you probably had more than you remember…
The Salk Institute did a research study on this topic and discovered that most of us have several mini-meals during the day.
Hence, you will consume more calories if you stay up late frequently.
The scientists of this study studied the eating habits of a group of people who had the habit of eating food and snacks for a period of 14 hours a day.
The researchers asked these people to reduce their calorie intake to 11 hours a day (instead of eating over the course of 14 hours a day).
Additionally, the participants were asked to sleep more.
After 4 months, the participants lost on average 3.5% of their excess body weight. All of this by simply going to bed earlier and sleeping more.
The conclusion of this study:
The best way to lose weight is by sleeping more!
By spending more time in bed, you might reach your weight-loss goals. This way, you can lose weight while you snooze.
But don’t stop there! Losing weight improves the sleep quality for plus-size people (which in turn has a positive effect on weight loss efforts).
If you’re plus-size and willing to lose weight, you can take advantage of the following after-dark weight loss tips:
Enjoy a protein shake
A Florida State University study says that having a protein shake before bedtime improves your metabolism.
They discovered that having a night snack might result in a higher resting metabolic rate the morning after.
This night snack must contain at least 30 grams of protein.
Protein is very thermogenic, more than carbs or fat. For your body to digest this, it needs to burn more calories.
Consuming protein powder has several advantages:
- Fat-burning benefits
- Hunger-squelching advantages
- Muscle-building benefits
Consider using vegan protein powder, though. It will give you all the same advantages as whey protein powder. But it won’t give you the bloating that comes from whey.
Welcome and embrace the cold
A study published in the journal Diabetes states that a colder room might help you to lose weight.
During the summer, you can turn the a/c up. During the winter, you can turn the heater down.
Your body keeps you warm by burning fat. This way, colder temperatures help you burn more fat.
In the research study, participants slept one month in a colder room at 66 degrees. After those 4 weeks, they all lost belly fat.
Conclusion: How to lose weight in your sleep? By embracing the cold.
Enjoy a hot shower
A hot shower isn’t just great to relieve stress and to unwind aching muscles. It’s also great for a good night’s sleep. But not just that!
It can also increase the oxytocin level in the brain. Oxytocin is also called the love hormone. So taking a hot shower is also incredibly soothing.
The heat from the shower increases your body temperature. So when you get out, the difference in temperate relaxes your entire system.
Nice to know: A hot bath has the same effect.
Skip your nightcap
Red wine is our favorite “healthy” alcoholic drink because it contains resveratrol. This is a plant compound that has health advantages for the heart.
More research still needs to be done, according to a study released in the journal Nutrients.
Sadly, white wine is considered a high-sugar drink. Drinking too much of it can block your ability to sleep.
It might feel like the wine will help you relax. And this way, it might feel like you fall asleep faster.
But in reality, it prevents your body from completely going into its REM cycle.
The REMÂ (Rapid Eye Movement)Â cycle is when you get the best sleep.
Conclusion: Avoid drinking two hours before bedtime. This prevents the sleep interrupting effect.
Pro tip: Close the home bar after one or two glasses, tops. Avoid excessive drinking to sleep better.
Set strict kitchen hours
Nighttime fasting is a fun one. Even if you eat more during the day, it can still help you lose weight.
According to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism, closing your kitchen early is a simple yet effective trick.
All you have to do is avoid eating after 8 p.m. (and potentially skip breakfast).
This way, you naturally boost your metabolic system.
Invest in light-blocking curtains
Light-blocking curtains make a huge difference. It’s harder for your mind to shut down when there’s light.
Even if you think you’re immune to it!
Melatonin is a hormone that is only produced when it’s dark. Only then will it make you feel sleepy.
So the more light in your bedroom, the less melatonin your brain will produce.
The secret to falling asleep earlier is creating a darker bedroom.
Investing in curtains which block the light could be interesting.
Avoid light in the bedroom
A brighter room not only affects your quality of sleep. It might even result in weight gain!
A research study about this was shared in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers studied the link between weight and the brightness of the room the participants sleep in.
Participants sleeping in brighter rooms were more than 20% more likely to be obese than those sleeping in the darkest rooms.
Hide the tablet (leave it in the living room)
The more electronic gadgets we bring into the bedroom, the more overweight we get. This phenomenon is even worse among kids.
An interesting study in the Pediatric Obesity journal was published about this topic. Kids who watch TV or use a computer before bed don’t get enough rest.
The study also found that these kids have poor lifestyle habits. The scientists studied the impact of electronic devices in kids’ bedrooms.
Kids with access to one device were 1.47 times more likely to be overweight than kids without.
These odds rise to 2.57 times more likely to be plus-size for children with 3 electronic gadgets.
Conclusion: Leave your electronic gadgets in the living room.
Avoid dark chocolate (and caffeine)
Who doesn’t love chocolate? It’s the white, black and brown gold for many ladies (and men).
Dark chocolate can even be considered healthy as long as it holds at least 70% cacao.
Black chocolate does not only have the same stress-relieving effect as white and brown chocolate. It is also low in sugar and high in anti-oxidants.
Sadly, you can’t have this kind of dark chocolate too late as it contains caffeine.
Consumer Lab tests say that roughly 50 grams of chocolate hold about 45 to 60 mg of caffeine.
As you know already, caffeine wakes your body up. Not every chocolate bar has the same amount of caffeine, though.
Typically, a two-ounce, 70% dark chocolate bar holds around 79 milligrams. Let’s compare. An eight-ounce cup of coffee holds around 145 milligrams.
Want to enjoy a bigger late-night snack? Then try a guilt-free snack that will allow you to dream peacefully.
Turn off the unhealthy television
Did you know slim people watch and enjoy less TV?
A research study in the Journal of the American Medical Association published a few shocking revelations:
Every two hours spent watching TV, the threat of
- Diabetes increases with roughly 20%
- Heart diseases increases with more than 10%
- Sudden death increases with more than 10%
Scientists are still learning why sitting on the couch is so bad for our health. It’s probably because the less we move, the less fuel we need.
This causes our blood to hold more sugar than it should. Excess blood sugar overwhelms the bloodstream, which adds to diabetes and other weight-related threats.
Dare to invest in a good pillow
We need to say it… Some gadgets to sleep better are total ripoffs. Think about several of those “as-seen-on-TV anti-snoring devices”.
But investing in a very good and comfortable pillow is crucial and can prove to be a smart and crucial investment.
A special orthopedic pillow keeps your neck straight.
If you dare to invest in a high-quality pillow, you’ll sleep your neck pain away and your overall sleep quality will improve drastically.
Do you live in a smaller studio or apartment?
Then you could also consider comfortable, space-saving heavy-duty bunk beds for plus-size individuals as a solid investment to improve your sleep quality and boost your weight loss efforts.
Are you wondering if bunk beds can support adult weight? Yes, certain bunk beds are heavy-duty models with a higher than average weight capacity.
Try whole grains as a lunch
Did you know that you better eat your complex carbs at lunch and not at dinner?
Serotonin is changed to melatonin in your phase 3 REM sleep. Whole-grain complex carbs are rich in serotonin.
You don’t need carbs before you go to sleep. Simply have them at some point during the day.
Set a daily fiber goal and stick to it. About 20 grams of fiber is essential to allow you to sleep well.
Try to reach this goal daily, at least. This way, you’ll transform enough serotonin to sleep well.
Avoid large meals before going to bed
It only causes trouble to go to bed starving. But don’t go to bed stuffed! When you have a big meal before going to bed, your body works all night long to digest it.
A worked-up body is a worked-up mind. The later your bedtime, the less rest you’ll get.
You’ll wake up feeling snacky for calorie-dense foods. Instead of having a beast meal for dinner, try having smaller portions during the day.
If you happen to have dinner in the late evening, you wish to consume your last meal 2 hours before going to bed.
Relax before going to sleep
Try to relax with breathing, meditation, yoga or stretching. In other words, try to strike some poses before you go to bed!
How to lose weight in your sleep? Try to relax with yoga. Yoga focuses on breathing and meditation. This has a powerful effect on your sleep quality.
Yoga has many benefits as it
- Increases flexibility and strength
- Calms your mind
- Calms the nerve system
- Releases the shoulders and neck
- Allows you to focus inward
- Blocks out tension
- Helps unwind
Plan a proper tea time
There is something about the routine of sitting down to a calming cup of tea that informs your brain to unwind.
Some of the best teas to have at night are
- Chamomile tea
- Lavender tea
- Valerian tea
- Peppermint tea
Try meat such as turkey or lamb
Try some meat for dinner. Eat lamb, turkey, chicken, beef, etc.
Meat contains Tryptophan (which is an amino acid). It’s found in most meats.
This amino acid has powerful sleep-inducing effects. A research study about this topic was shared in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
The researchers studied people with “moderate” insomnia. Only 0.25 grams of tryptophan was enough to increase the hours of deep sleep.
This is the amount you’ll find in one chicken drumstick. You’ll also find it in 3 ounces of lean turkey meat.
As a consequence, eating a moderate portion of meat for dinner can translate into simple weight loss (as you will sleep better and longer).
You can also find Tryptophan in:
- Nuts
- Chicken
- Fish
- Lentils
- Eggs
- Turkey
Are you the type that can’t sleep on an empty stomach? Then try a few healthy fats like avocado or nuts. They all give the proper nutrition and still fight your hunger.
Increase your sexual activity: How to lose weight in your sleep
Do you want to sleep better and lose more weight? Then having more sex could be a solution.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine shared a study about women’s sex drive. For each extra hour of sleep, women’s sexual desire increases.
Another study by Adelaide sleep scientist Dr. Michele Lastella revealed something else.
If you have more sex, you’ll sleep better. And the better you sleep, the more weight you’ll lose.