5 Ways To Help You Lose Weight While You Sleep

How do you maintain a healthy, toned body? Go to bed!

Gym goers swear their weight lifting and treadmilling keep them toned up and slimmed down. Dieticians argue that a nutritious, balanced diet is the key to a long, strong life. Both are right but their answers are incomplete, missing the most important ingredient. The three pillars of a healthy life are fitness, diet AND sleep. Sustainable, successful and real weight loss (and long term health) emerges from an unexpected place: the bedroom.

Believe it or not, the majority of our lives are spent in the bedroom – approximately 7-9 hours every 24 hours – almost a full third. What if you could create a weight loss routine that you can literally take to bed?

Today is your lucky day! We’re going to give you 5 tricks to help you slim down, stay healthy and maintain quality sleep.

5 tricks to losing weight while you snooze

1. Instead of counting sheep, eat lamb or turkey. A food coma isn’t the only joy of your Thanksgiving Day nap, it’s the turkey. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in many types of meat, is a well-documented sleep superhero. Turkey and lamb contain less fat and calories when compared to chicken and beef, which makes them easier to digest so your tummy can sleep when you do. Next time you want a bedtime snack, go for a mini turkey sandwich.
2. Ditch the nightlight. Exposure to light not only wrecks your sleep but can also pack on the extra pounds. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, showed that women who were exposed to electronic light before bed had a higher increase in body fat over time, compared to those who powered down before snoozing. The increase still occurred when physical activity was constant – weird, right? What’s more, exposure to light decreases the amount of melatonin, a natural chemical in your brain, which regulates sleep. Help yourself get better sleep with these 3 tips:

• • Begin to dim your light levels 3 hours before you plan to go to bed
  • Switch your bedroom lighting to warm light sources. such as LED lamps
  • Power down electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed

3. Hit pause on Netflix. Don’t get freaked out too much, but research studies have found that for every 2 hours spent staring at the TV, your risk for diabetes, heart disease and even early death increase. And it can also lead to weight gain – yikes! Try an evening walk, reading a book or family game night to relax after dinner.
4. Get the nighttime blues. There’s a reason why McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s all have the same red and yellow colors. Those tones send a subliminal message to the brain that it’s time to eat. If your bedroom is painted red or yellow, you’re setting your brain up for some late-night munchie cravings. Next time you’re redecorating, paint your bedroom blue to promote relaxation, suppress your appetite and help control blood pressure.
5. Make dinner, then make whoopee. After a dinner with your partner, spend the evening in your bedroom. When it comes to weight loss, studies have shown that an hour of sex can burn 150 calories, reduce late-night snack cravings and keep your diet on track. When it comes to sleep, making love helps release cortisol, a stress-inducing hormone. Cortisol surges will leave you feeling more relaxed and ready for sleep. Sweet, right?

So go ahead bench those weights, run those laps and crunch that granola. Just make sure you’re also getting a good night’s sleep.

Rest well & wake up ready to go!

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:

• • Clutter and sleep make terrible bed partners
  • Where to put your bed for the best night’s sleep
  • The essential guide to creating a bed(room) you’ll love sleeping in