Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go to sleep at night only to wake up in the morning several pounds lighter?  As yet there is no magic weight loss formula allowing us to slumber away the pounds. But recent studies have found that our sleep patterns can have a bearing on our weight.

Does this mean we really lose weight while sleeping?



Actually, we all lose some weight while we’re asleep. Anyone who has followed a weight loss diet will be familiar with the routine of stepping on the scales first thing in the morning, because that’s when we often obtain the lightest reading.

It’s during this period of fasting that our body is busily repairing and regenerating itself. This uses up energy. And those who are constantly tossing and turning, suffering from night sweats, or being regularly woken up will burn more calories than others who remain undisturbed.

But don’t think sleep deprivation is necessary if you want to lose weight overnight.  In fact, the opposite is more likely. As the obesity epidemic continues to grow unabated, stresses encountered by modern life is leaving many of us lacking vital sleep. This has led to some scientists posing the question “is there a link between sleep and weight?” In response, several studies have been undertaken to see whether sleep has any effect on weight.

What many of the studies seem to agree on is that too much or too little sleep can affect the efficiency of certain hormones relating to our appetite. For instance, the hormone ghrelin is responsible for triggering our appetite while another hormone leptin, tells us when we’re full up. Sleep deprivation can lead to higher levels of ghrelin making us hungrier and lower levels of leptin so it takes longer to feel full.

One such study at the Laval University in Quebec found that those who slept more or less than average were more likely to experience weight gain.  However, it also found that those most affected slept less than five hours a night.

Another experiment by a US magazine asked a group of women to keep their eating and exercise habits the same while sleeping for seven and a half hours a night. They were amazed to find all the women lost between 3lb and 15lb over the period of the study.

While it’s well-known that seven and a half to eight hours of sleep is the recommended ideal amount for healthy adults, the truth is, everybody has differing requirements. Some people manage very well on six while others can barely function without their full eight hours. As long as you wake up feeling refreshed and energized, then you’re probably getting enough sleep.

If you’re sleeping well, it often follows that your body is able to function properly the next day. Your reactions are faster as you’re more mentally alert and you're more inclined to exercise which in turn will help use up more calories. But if you’ve slept badly, the tiredness can leave you craving sugary and fatty foods to keep you going. And repeating this cycle inevitably leads to weight gain, more so if you’re also too tired to exercise.

So can you really lose weight while sleeping?  Obviously, the more hours you’re in the land of nod, the less likely you are to be eating! However, with interruption of deep sleep harming the body’s metabolism, making sure you have enough quality sleep should become a priority, particularly if you are worried about your weight. If there’s a chance of losing weight, surely it’s worth some early nights.