It sounds ideal, doesn’t it? Sleeping your way to reduced weight and better wellness and wellbeing? You may be laughing, but the truth is that sleep is very important if you are trying to lose weight – possibly even more important than fitness.
A new study has shown that getting a good night’s sleep is a very important factor when it comes to weight loss. Researchers discovered that both men and women who were able to get at least six hours of sleep per night coped better with the normal stresses and strains of everyday life, and were also twice as likely to lose weight when they were on a diet as those who were getting less sleep than this.
Scientists believe that if you get between six and eight hours of sleep per night, your hormones are likely to be more balanced especially the hormones that govern how hungry or full you feel. Stress hormones are also likely to be balanced, and this, in turn, means that you are likely to feel happier and are less likely to binge on unhealthy food or comfort eat.
The study was carried out with 500 overweight Americans, and they had to cut back their daily calorie intake by about 500 calories, as well as increasing the amount of exercise that they did until they were exercising for three hours per week. They were also advised to eat a diet that was low in fat and rich in fruits and vegetables. Researchers provided weekly group meetings for help and support, and during this they asked dieters about their sleep habits, time spent in front of a screen and how stressed they felt. It was found that those who had between six and eight hours of sleep were likely to have lost the most weight.
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