Doctor-dietitian Lydia Ayvazyan addresses the question of how sleep affects weight loss on her Instagram page.

«It is known that sleep deficit (less than 6-7 hours of sleep) is associated with episodes of overeating during the next day.

The physiological mechanism is not yet clear, but is most likely related to cytokines and other molecular receptors that influence sleep and appetite.

A new study has been published in JAMA Internal Medicine, where doctors raise the question of whether it is possible to reduce the number of calories consumed per day by increasing the hours of sleep.

An increase in one hour of sleep implies a decrease in energy intake by an average of 162 kcal per day.

The study included 80 overweight people who slept less than 6.5 hours a day.

Participants were divided into 2 groups. Each participant of the first group received individual sleep regulation methods:

follow a sleep pattern,

don’t use your phone before bed

reduce the lighting in the room

reduce caffeine consumption

add phys. activity.

As a result of all this, the sleep time of the participants of the first group increased by 1-1.5 hours.

As a result of the energy balance study, it was found that the daily intake of calories of the participants decreased by an average of 155 kcal, but the expenditure of calories did not increase.

As a result of the negative energy balance, the weight of the participants of the first group decreased slightly.

Losing 155 calories a day doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you make it a habit, it will help control your weight over time.

In addition to weight control, participants reported increased energy and improved mood.

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