Sleeping Off Extra Weight Is (Kind Of) Possible
Okay, so getting a solid night's sleep isn't the only thing you need for weight-loss success, but it's a pretty big deal.
"When approaching weight loss, I tell my patients to imagine a three-legged stool, each one representing diet, exercise, and sleep," says Alexandra Sowa, M.D., clinical instructor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Without one of the legs, the whole effort will collapse."
In other words, getting nine glorious hours won't make up for slacking on your diet and ignoring the gym.
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How to Actually Sleep Your Way to Weight Loss
So, yeah, sleeping is essential when it comes to hitting your weight-loss goal or maintaining it. But you don't have to lose sleep over it. (Ha, sorry.) Follow these rules to improve your beauty sleep and eventually wake up lighter.
1. Shoot for 6.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep. In one Brigham Young University study, women who got between 6.5 hours and 8.5 hours of sleep had the smallest risk of fat gain.
2. Sleep at the same time. Every. Single. Night. When it comes to keeping your body fat on the DL, following a sleep sched is even more important than getting enough shuteye, according to the same study.
3. Turn down the thermostat. Sleeping in colder rooms (think: 66.2 degrees) increases your levels of ready-to-burn brown fat, revs up your metabolism, and improves insulin sensitivity, per one Diabetes study.
4. Draw the blinds. Women who sleep in the darkest rooms are 21 percent less likely to be obese than those who sleep in the lightest rooms, according to a 2014 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
5. Power down the gadgets. You've undoubtedly heard that blue light from your smartphone drains your body's levels of melatonin (the handy chemical that helps you doze off). But research from the University of Granada in Spain also shows that reduced melatonin levels increase weight gain. Sowa says to shut down all of your gadgets at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
6. Don't forget the other factors. Eating healthy and adding extra movement into your day are key components of dropping pounds.
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