Turns Out, Sleeping In A Dark Room Can Help You Lose Weight

Illustration of the benefits of sleeping in a dark room (Freepik/Tirachardz)

YOGYAKARTA – Losing weight does not only require reducing calorie consumption and ensuring a more active body. But also form habits that support your diet program.

Including one of them sleeping habits, more specifically, sleeping without bright lights. Even reported by Reader's Digest, Thursday, April 14, when you are in a room that is completely dark, the body will produce the hormone melatonin. This hormone not only makes you feel sleepy, but also helps produce brown fat, which burns calories. The findings were published in a study published in the Journal of Pineal Research.

Well, other sleep habits also affect the potential for weight loss. First, if you are the type of person who likes to snack before bed, try choosing foods that are high in protein content. Florida State University researchers found that men who consumed a shake with 30 grams of protein before bed experienced higher resting energy expenditure. Protein also has other benefits for your muscles. Because protein helps muscle repair overnight.

Another finding about sleep, namely sleeping in cooler temperatures. Cold temperatures allow more calories to burn. So it is recommended to sleep in a room with a temperature of 19 degrees, because it has the potential to burn more than 7 percent of calories than sleeping in a warmer room. According to a study published in the journal Diabetes, the body will work to steadily raise its core temperature by burning calories.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that resting energy expenditure for people who got enough rest was 5 percent higher than their tired counterparts. Those who were well rested also burned 20 percent more calories after eating than sleeping.

Related research has also found that lack of sleep can make fat cells less sensitive to insulin. Because it affects the metabolic changes associated with obesity.

From the explanation of the four studies above, you can adjust the conditions so that sleep helps the weight loss program. Starting from making the bed room not with bright light, lowering the room temperature, limiting non-protein snacks before bed, and getting enough sleep every day.