Sleep instead of diet? No shit, there is some truth to it!
In this article, we would like to explain to you in more detail why losing weight overnight can work.
You will also receive a few useful tips on how to transform your body into a nighttime fat-burning machine and thus promote weight loss while you sleep.
Slim while you sleep – why good sleep really helps you lose weight
Why can good sleep help you lose weight?
Have you ever noticed that you weigh less in the morning and your stomach is much flatter?
Yes, it is actually the case that a person weighs up to a pound less in the morning than they did the evening before. Unbelievable?
The reason for this is the loss of fluid at night through sweat but also, of course, because the body maintains its functions (temperature, heartbeat, etc.).
In addition, the tissue is tighter in the morning and you feel fitter.
This is because the body regenerates during sleep and the stress hormone cortisol is broken down.
The organism ensures that stressed cells recover at night and metabolic products are removed.
The body needs energy for this activity and it preferably gets this from fat.
Good sleep can also promote muscle regeneration and growth.
This means you will be fit again more quickly for the next training session and can start with full power.
Good sleep prevents food cravings (read why in the next section)
Lack of sleep can make you fat!
Why do we always want chocolate when we are tired?
Well, lack of sleep causes the areas of the brain that control more primitive brain structures to become inactive.
The result: self-control is switched off, people develop a “now it doesn’t matter” eating behavior and allow food cravings.
The lack of sleep primarily messes up the corpora amygdaloid in the brain, which is responsible, among other things, for controlling the frontal lobe.
This ensures that we make smart decisions when choosing food.
In addition, the stress hormone cortisol is not broken down, which leads to fat storage.
The body thinks it is “war” and prepares itself for the possible attack by releasing insulin (our energy booster).
But if this doesn’t come, it stores the released energy in the fat cells – preferably on our hips 🙁
How is lack of sleep physically noticeable?
Suddenly aggressive or do you immediately cry every time you feel a little pain?
These could be symptoms of lack of sleep.
Below you can read about other ways in which chronic lack of sleep can manifest itself physically:
- Are you unfocused, no longer as productive at work or during training and you constantly forget things?
- You increasingly suffer from headaches and nausea.
- With prolonged sleep deprivation, hallucinations can even occur (this happens after just 24 – 48 hours).
- You suddenly see everything on the computer as blurry.
- They get irritable very quickly and freak out over every little thing.
- It can cause dizziness, balance problems, shaking, and freezing.
- As described above: you gain weight.
- Bad mood and no motivation.
- You feel unmotivated and overwhelmed.
- Blood pressure rises.
- The skin appears dull and colorless.
- You don’t feel like meeting people anymore.
- You don’t feel like having sex.
How do I optimize my sleep quality? Weight loss
If you ensure good sleep, you promote recovery, lymphatic drainage, tightening of tissue and also the breakdown of fat.
To ensure that this natural process occurs undisturbed, the quality of sleep should be as high as possible.
To promote this, it is essential to relieve the burden on digestion.
That’s why you shouldn’t eat anything a few hours before going to bed if you don’t want to distract your body from its regeneration work.
10 tips to burn fat faster overnight or lose weight through sleep
- Avoid using computers, smartphones, and tablets two hours before bed.
This is because the devices emit cold, bluish light that disrupts the production of the hormone melatonin, which activates the brain.
If you have to sit at the computer late in the evening, you should set the system to night mode, which produces warmer light. - Magnesium can help you fall asleep: The mineral magnesium influences, among other things, the relaxation of the muscles and affects the nerve cells.
A deficiency can therefore lead to mild to severe sleep disorders.
Scientific studies show that magnesium as a dietary supplement has a positive influence on sleep.
The mineral binds to neurotransmitter receptors in the body that control sleep.
Magnesium is also involved in the formation of the messenger serotonin, which also has a positive effect on sleep rhythms.
Because serotonin is the precursor to the sleep hormone (melatonin).
If you don’t have magnesium supplements on hand, eating a banana can also provide your body with the necessary minerals, as bananas are very rich in magnesium. - No action movies before bed.
Engage in relaxing thoughts or try meditating.
If this is difficult, write down the things that are bothering you in a diary to get them out of your head. - Create a “chilled” atmosphere in the bedroom.
Use subtle colors, comfortable fabrics, and warm, indirect light.
Cool, silky bed linen is suitable in summer; Winter can be a little fluffier. Mmm… - Pro tip from Chinese medicine:
Try to go to bed before 11 p.m. because the body regenerates the most between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. - Wear socks to bed if you have problems with cold feet.
Cold feet can also make it difficult to fall asleep. - Develop a solid sleep routine.
For example, play quiet meditation music before falling asleep.
Soon your subconscious will associate the music with sleep and relax more quickly. - Have a nightcap.
No, not red wine 😉 A calming tea made from various herbs such as passionflower, valerian or hops is very suitable because these plants have a calming effect. - Ensure that the room temperature is pleasantly cool (18 °C) and turn off all light sources.
If possible, the television and smartphone should not be in the bedroom. - Don’t try to induce sleep through pressure, as this usually only has the opposite effect.
Instead, try it the other way around: keep your eyes open and try to stay awake.
Or focus on your breathing and imagine your body relaxing deeper and sinking into a soft pillow with each breath. - If you still can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, don’t roll around in bed.
Instead, get up and do something that doesn’t stimulate your mind.
This could be, for example, a book (printed, not a Kindle).
How can I measure whether my sleep quality is good?
You can have your sleep quality tested.
This works by measuring brain waves (EEG).
The speed at which you fall asleep is measured every two hours between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The test subjects are woken up again as soon as they fall asleep so that further tests do not distort the results.
The time required to fall asleep is then evaluated:
- Anyone who takes 20 minutes or more to fall asleep is extremely awake.
- Anyone who needs between 15 to 20 minutes to fall asleep has good alertness.
- If it takes between ten and fifteen minutes to fall asleep, you can assume that you are awake to an acceptable level.
- Anyone who needs 10 minutes or less is in a slight sleep deficit.
Immediate sleep reveals a severe sleep deficit.
Sleep disorders with periods of lying awake also lead to such deficits.
If you only sleep six out of eight hours, you are not getting enough sleep.
Conclusion
We hope that our tips listed above have given you some clarity about possible causes of lack of sleep.
If you are affected, then heed our 10 tips for better sleep quality.
If you want to lose weight, you don’t have to limit yourself to counting calories or doing exercises to build muscle; you can also easily lose pounds while you sleep.
To achieve this, all you need to do is ensure a good night’s sleep. With our tips, you are well equipped.
