Most of us are familiar with the health benefits of getting at least seven hours of sleep per night, but did you know that you can also lose weight while asleep? In fact, you can use certain techniques to intentionally lose weight without even becoming conscious of it! While this may seem like magic, it’s all about the hormone melatonin and how your body uses it. Let’s take a closer look.
The Hormone Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that naturally occurs in the brain and in very small amounts in the eyes. While most people think of melatonin when it comes to sleep, it is actually more involved in regulating numerous body functions including mood, appetite, and metabolism. The hormone works together with insulin and other hormones to control blood sugar levels; thus, it helps to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels. For this reason, melatonin has been found to improve overall physical health as well as quality of life. Additionally, the hormone helps to reduce body weight by increasing resting metabolic rates and energy levels! Simply put, melatonin promotes healthy sleep and helps to reduce body weight, which is great news for those seeking to slim down!!!
Melatonin’s Role In Sleep
When you sleep, the production of melatonin in your brain goes through a cycle. Just as in the day, the hormone gets released at night and then its levels gradually drop as you sleep. However, during certain stages of sleep, the hormone levels can actually increase! For this reason, your body temperature drops, which promotes better sleep. Additionally, melatonin levels increase in the course of the day when you are sleeping. This increase is most prominent in the morning, peaking around 10 a.m., and then gradually diminishing as you go to sleep. This is why daytime sleep often feels like a lighter sleep compared to what you get at night.
What’s more is that even when your sleep is disrupted by insomnia, snoring, or other sleep disorders, your body still produces more melatonin than usual! This, in turn, can actually make you sleep better, regardless of the reason for the sleep disruption. All of this may explain why getting lack of sleep has such profound effects on your body and mind. It not only makes you more susceptible to illnesses but also helps to cause those illnesses in some cases! It’s a vicious cycle and one that you really have to break out of if you want to see results!
How To Lose Weight While You Sleep
If you’re looking to shed a few pounds, you’re in the right place! Thanks to melatonin, it’s actually quite easy to do so while you sleep. As we mentioned above, daytime sleeping often results in increased melatonin levels, so if you can master the art of sleeping during the day, you’ll be on the right track to weight loss success! Let’s take a look at how it’s done.
The first thing you want to do is cut back on the caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and, therefore, will only hinder your sleep and weight loss efforts. In addition, keep your bedroom temperature as close to 20 degrees Celsius as possible, which is the optimum level for melatonin generation. What this means is that you’ll need to make sure that your bedroom is comfortable and that the temperature is neither too hot nor cold. When you have a bed that comfortably fits two people, you can also allow your partner to get some shut-eye while you stay up and work on shedding those extra pounds!
Avoid eating the evening meal at least two hours before going to bed. What this will do is give your body time to process food and then send you to sleep. For the best results, have a small snack about an hour before bedtime. This snack should consist of foods that are high in fiber as well as healthy fats. One important thing to keep in mind is that you can’t lose weight if you’re still feeling hungry! You need to have periods of time where you feel comfortably satisfied or even a little bit over-full. To achieve this, pay attention to the foods that you’re eating and make some small shifts in what you consume. For example, if you frequently eat potato chips, try eating more fresh fruit or vegetables instead. This will assist your body in the process of weight loss and allow you to avoid harmful calories that may lead you to crave more sweets in the future. In this way, you’re better off for your efforts and will be motivated to keep going!
Exercise is also important for weight loss. Even a short walk can improve sleep and melatonin levels, so it’s worthwhile to do so. If you can, try going for a jog or jumping on a treadmill for a few minutes. This will not only help release endorphins and have some health benefits on its own, but it will also increase your body’s production of melatonin! If you want to speed up the process, why not step up the intensity for a few minutes? This might be difficult at first, but getting out a strenuous workout every day will definitely help you reach your weight loss goals faster than you’d think possible! Do what you can to keep the momentum going and you won’t be disappointed!
Make sure to take care of your health. For those seeking to lose weight, it’s important to make sure that their bodies are functioning at their optimum levels as much as possible. For this reason, eat healthily and make sure to get plenty of sleep! If you follow these guidelines, you’re sure to start seeing some significant results soon enough. Good luck out there!