6 Ways to Burn Calories While You Sleep

Weight loss can be tough, and while keeping a healthy diet and following a workout routine will surely help you stay fit, there are some easier ways to burn fat. In fact, with a few lifestyle changes, you can burn calories at a faster rate, even in your sleep.

We at Bright Side know how challenging losing extra weight can be. And we came up with several tips that will help you optimize your sleep for fat burning and lose weight while catching some shut-eye.

1. Try sleeping without a blanket.

Nothing can beat the cozy feeling of sleeping under a huge, heavy blanket, but if you want to shrink your waistline, it’s actually better to go to bed without one. When you sleep in cooler temperatures, your metabolism increases and you burn more calories while resting. Cooler conditions at night also up the amount of healthy brown fat that allows your body to get rid of unnecessary blood sugar and burn more calories.

2. Get more sleep.

Counting calories and spending hours at the gym can definitely help you get in shape, but one of the most effective ways to shift those extra pounds is simply to get more sleep. If you think this sounds too good to be true, it actually isn’t. Studies have shown that just an extra hour of sleep every night helps you eat 270 fewer calories per day without much effort. And over a year, it translates to a whopping 9 pounds of weight loss.

3. Have a protein shake before bed.

People who want to lose weight are willing to try all kinds of diets, including intermittent fasting, which can be pretty harsh on your body. Going to bed on an empty stomach can keep you up at night, and not getting enough sleep can actually cause you to gain weight. There are many healthy and nutritious snacks you can have before going to bed, and a protein shake is one of them. Because protein is more thermogenic than carbs or fat, it causes your body to burn more calories digesting it.

4. Wear a sleep mask.

Being exposed to light at night not only interrupts your sleep, but it may also cause your body to store more fat. People who sleep in the dark are 21% less likely to be obese than those who sleep in the lightest rooms. If you can’t ensure complete darkness in your bedroom, opt for a comfortable, good-quality sleep mask that can provide near-total darkness any time of the day.

5. Don’t go to bed hungry.

While eating fewer calories should result in weight loss, skipping dinner can work the other way around. When you suddenly lower your calorie intake, your body automatically goes into starvation mode and lowers your metabolism to conserve calories.

6. Have a small snack before going to sleep.

While you shouldn’t go to bed starving, hitting the hay completely stuffed won’t do your body any favors either. Rather than eating a large meal before sleep, opt for a small, healthy, and nutritious snack to avoid overeating and support better sleep.

Have you ever tried to lose weight? What worked best for you?