How to Burn More Calories while Sleeping
One day you wake up and, suddenly, cutting back on calories for a few days or doing some extra hours of aerobics just won't get rid of those stubborn pounds. You're not crazy. Weight loss gets harder as you get older--especially after you turn 40. But it's not impossible!
Prevention's metabolism-revving program can help put your body's fat-burning engines on autopilot, so your body's working around the clock to slim you. With the right kind of weight loss workout, you could burn up to 200 extra calories a day, many of them while doing nothing more challenging than watching your favorite movie, eating dinner, or, yes, sleeping.
Instructions
1
To burn more calories while sleeping, take up weight lifting during the day. One pound of muscle burns on average about 50 calories per one day and night, while one pound of fat burns only nine calories. By starting a weight lifting program and increasing muscle mass, you will be sure to burn more calories while you sleep.
2
Burn more calories at night by turning down the heater. Our bodies use more energy to keep warm. By turning down your heater at night, you will be turning up your body's metabolic rate, which will burn more calories to keep you warm.
3
Avoid carbohydrates for at least six hours before bed. When the body is low on carbohydrates, it starts using calories to burn fat for energy. If there are no carbohydrates in your system before bedtime, your body will burn more calories and burn fat for energy.
4
Drink green tea before bed to burn more calories while sleeping. Green tea increases metabolism, which helps people burn more calories.
5
Sleep for more than seven hours to burn more calories at night. Getting more sleep will not only help you burn more calories at night, it will also help keep your metabolic rate higher during the day burning even more calories.
6
Make sure to meditate and relax before going to sleep. Relaxing causes cortisol levels to drop, which will in turn help your body burn more calories.
7
When you’re hungry and don’t eat, your body automatically goes into starvation mode by lowering your metabolism to conserve calories. Eating a snack before bed if you’re hungry is fine, but make sure you’re making healthy food choices. A high-fat snack before bed isn’t the best choice, while a piece of fruit or high-fiber cereal with skim milk won’t add extra calories. Of course if you don’t feel hungry, skip the bed time snack.
