Best way to sleep to lose belly fat

Mummy tummy, pot belly, paunch, hanging belly, tummy fat – call it whatever you may, but we all would agree that it’s extremely difficult to flatten it out. The stubbornness of belly fat in melting away even with rigorous exercise is due to the fact that most fat cells in the belly area have alpha receptors that do not readily participate in the fat-burning process. However, when you want to try every trick in the book to get  a smaller waist, here are 9 hacks to burn belly fat, and that too while you are getting your beauty sleep.

1. The first obvious thing to do is to get enough sleep: Getting good quality sleep, and that too for at least 7 to 8 hours, can do wonders for the whole weight loss process. You can literally have no food during the day and exercise like crazy for hours, but without a good night’s sleep, the tummy fat would not go anywhere. The better you sleep at night, more would be the chances of the body burning visceral fat, and flattening out the pooch. Also, when you wake up, it would be with a strong metabolism and low levels of ghrelin hormone (which is the hormone that makes you hungry). Additionally, 7 hours of sleep would help reduce cortisol level (stress hormone), which is one of the major reasons for increase in belly fat.
2. Go into a Calorie Deficit During the Day: It’s essential to get into a calorie deficit to burn overall fat, especially belly fat, because if there are excess calories in the body, it would be hard to reach out to the fat stores, particularly around the waist area. Lower down calorie intake by 500 calories to lose fat safely, exercise to burn excess calories, and that would help you to flatten the belly fat. Check out meal plans on the Rati Beauty diet which would help you shed weight the right way without food deprivation.
3. Increase Protein and Fiber Content: Protein is an important macronutrient and more so if you are trying to lose weight and build muscle. It has thermogenic properties, keeps you fuller for longer, increases metabolism, and burns more calories in the process. Eat a protein-rich diet during the day – find such meal plans on the Rati Beauty app.
4. Sleep with All Lights Switched Off: We cannot stress enough the importance of good sleep, and melatonin, which is the sleep hormone, and improves metabolism and helps to convert stubborn white fat to brown, increases when all lights are blocked (including blue light from your phone and gadgets). Even a bit of light can reduce melatonin production and lower metabolism. So, sleep in complete darkness and keep away phone and other gadgets at least one hour before hitting the bed.
5. Sleep in Comfortable Clothing: When you sleep in comfortable and loose clothing, it helps you to sleep better, and by now, we definitely know that good sleep is equal to faster weight loss.
6. Set the AC to a Lower Temperature: Brave a bit of cold by lowering the AC at a lower number because this practice can help to burn more brown fat, and cut down belly fat.
7. Consume Fat Burning Foods During the Day: Foods with healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, ghee) etc., have healthy fats (monosaturated fatty acids) that actually help to lower inflammation and burn belly fat. Check out the Rati Beauty diet for more details.
8. Avoid Transfat: Completely avoid transfat content in your diet (say no to processed food), because transfat not only causes rapid weight gain, it actually mobilizes fat from other parts of the body to the belly area!
9. Try HIIT During the Day: HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and not only does a short-duration HIIT burn more calories, it helps release more visceral fat and most of it happens when your body is resting. The best thing about HIIT is that your body burns more calories even hours after the workout has been done. Check out this 7-Minute HIIT Routine that anyone can do in the comfort of one’s home.

Follow these tips and you would definitely be able to shave off extra fat from your tummy area.

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Shrink your waistline with these after dark weight loss tips.

By Eat This, Not That!

Published on January 2, 2021 | 6:30 AM

How many meals did you eat yesterday?

However you answered the above question, chances are that you actually ate far more frequently than you recall. The majority of us now pack several mini-meals into our each day, according to a study at The Salk Institute. And the longer we stay up, the more calories we consume.

The scientists speculated that the best way to cut down on calorie intake might be simply to get more sleep, so they asked people who ate over the course of 14 hours each day to cut their grazing times to no more than 11 hours a day and to sleep more of the time. After 16 weeks, subjects lost an average of 3.5 percent of their excess body weight—just by going to bed earlier.

That means that just a few simple tweaks to your p.m. routine can mean serious weight loss success. So open your eyes: Here are science-backed suggestions to lose while you snooze. And while you're awake, make sure you're trying out these 21 Best Healthy Cooking Hacks of All Time to keep you on track with your weight-loss goals!

1

Try your sleep switch

Don't count sheep, eat lamb! Or better yet, a bit of turkey. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in most meats, has demonstrated powerful sleep-inducing effects. A study published in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease among "mild" insomniacs found that just 1/4 gram—about what you'll find in a skinless chicken drumstick or three ounces of lean turkey meat—was enough to increase hours of deep sleep significantly. And that can translate into easy weight loss.

"Any tryptophan-containing food, which includes nuts, chicken, fish, lentils, and eggs, can help usher in sleepyhead syndrome," says Julia Falamas, coach at Crossfit Spot Barbell in New York. "If you're the type who can't sleep on an empty stomach, a healthy source of fat like avocado or nut butter can help stave off hunger, while providing restorative properties," she adds.

2

Schedule tea time

"There is something about the ritual of sitting down to a soothing cup of tea that tells your brain to slow down and relax," says Falamas. "Some of the best teas for sleep are chamomile, peppermint, lavender and valerian, which actually does have some sedative properties."

3

Eat whole grains at lunch

You know to avoid big meals, coffee, colas, and alcohol before bed, but did you know that it's best to eat your complex carbohydrates at lunchtime, not with dinner? "Serotonin converts to melatonin in your stage 3 REM sleep, and serotonin is sourced from whole-grain complex carbohydrates. So you don't need to have carbs before bed to sleep, just have them at some point through the day," says Cat Smiley, owner of Whistler Fitness Vacations, a weight-loss retreat for women.

Also, to meet your daily fiber goal, "about 20 grams of insoluble fiber is important to enable you to sleep, so aim to eat that daily, and you'll ensure you can convert enough serotonin to sleep well."

4

If you eat at night, keep it small

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While you shouldn't go to bed starving (that presents its own sleepytime problems), you also shouldn't hit the sack completely stuffed. When you eat a large meal before bed, your body is working to digest it long into the night—and if your body is still worked up, so are you. The later you fall asleep, the less rest you'll get, and you'll wake up feeling groggy and more likely to reach for calorie-dense items.

Instead of eating a monster meal for dinner, try to keep portions about the same as your breakfast and lunch, especially if you eat dinner on the later side. "You want to eat your last meal at least an hour or two before going to bed," says Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN.

5

Better yet, set strict kitchen hours

Nighttime fasting—aka closing the kitchen early—may help you lose more weight, even if you eat more food throughout the day, according to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism. Experiment with closing the kitchen at 8 p.m. and skipping breakfast.

6

Try a protein shake

Having a protein shake before hitting the sack may boost your metabolism, according to one Florida State University study. Researchers found that men who consumed an evening snack that included 30 grams of protein had a higher resting metabolic rate the next morning than when eating nothing. Protein is more thermogenic than carbs or fat, meaning your body burns more calories digesting it.

Use vegan protein powder, which will give you the same fat-burning, hunger-squelching, muscle-building benefits, without the bloating that comes from whey.

RELATED: The 7-day diet that melts your belly fat fast.

7

Relax with breathing, meditation, or stretching

Striking some poses before bed can have a powerful influence on sleep quality because of yoga's focus on breathing and meditation. "Yoga offers a variety of benefits, from increased flexibility and strength to a calmer mind," says Mark Balfe-Taylor, director of yoga at TruFusion. He recommends the Deaf Man's Pose.

"It can calm the nervous system, release the shoulders and neck and, most importantly, allows you to focus inward, block out stress and relax," he says.

8

Let in the cold

A striking new study published in the journal Diabetes suggests that simply blasting the air conditioner or turning down the heat in winter may help us attack belly fat while we sleep. Colder temperatures subtly enhance the effectiveness of our stores of brown fat—fat keeps you warm by helping you burn through the fat stored in your belly. Participants spent a few weeks sleeping in bedrooms with varying temperatures: a neutral 75 degrees, a cool 66 degrees, and a balmy 81 degrees. After four weeks of sleeping at 66 degrees, the subjects had almost doubled their volumes of brown fat. (And yes, that means they lost belly fat.)

9

Throw out the night light

Exposure to light at night doesn't just interrupt your chances of a great night's sleep, it may also result in weight gain according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Study subjects who slept in the darkest rooms were 21 percent less likely to be obese than those sleeping in the lightest rooms.

That leads us to our next sleep-slimming trick….

10

Hide the iPad

Research suggests that the more electronics we bring into the bedroom, the fatter we get—especially among children. A study in the Pediatric Obesity journal found that kids who bask in the nighttime glow of a TV or computer don't get enough rest and suffer from poor lifestyle habits. Researchers found that students with access to one electronic device were 1.47 times as likely to be overweight as kids with no devices in the bedroom. That increased to 2.57 times for kids with three devices.

Bottom line: Leave your iPad in the living room. Your spouse might thank you, too.

11

Turn off the TV

Did you know lean people watch less TV? A recent analysis of studies published in JAMA found that for every two hours spent watching TV, the risk of developing diabetes, developing heart disease, and early death increased by 20, 15 and 13 percent, respectively. Scientists are still figuring out exactly why sitting is so detrimental to health, but one obvious and partial explanation is that the less we move, the less fuel we require; the surplus blood sugar floods the bloodstream and contributes to diabetes and other weight-related risks.

Discover how just a few other easy tweaks can help you lose up to 4 inches from your waist—fast—with these best-ever nutrition tips!

12

Blackout with blackout shades

Light-blocking curtains make a huge difference when it comes to falling asleep. Outside light makes it harder for your mind to shut down, even if you think you're immune to such instinctive signals. Melatonin, the hormone involved in putting your body to sleep, is compromised when light is present.

"Darken your room so that going to bed, even early, feels natural," Smiley says.

13

Take a hot shower

If you normally bathe in the a.m., listen up. "A hot shower is great for ensuring a good night's sleep because it can help relieve tension and relax sore muscles. Additionally, it can increase the level of oxytocin—a 'love' hormone released by your brain—which can be very soothing," says Falamas. The heat from the shower also gives your body temperature a lift, resulting in a quick drop in temp when you get out and towel off, a dip that helps relax your entire system. A hot bath will also have the same effect.

14

Skip the chocolate

Don't get us wrong; we love chocolate. In fact, any bar that contains at least 70 percent cacao is one of our favorite low-sugar snacks or desserts because of its high concentration of antioxidants and stress-busting abilities. Unfortunately, if eaten too late that chocolate could be the reason you can't fall asleep. Dark chocolate contains caffeine—about 40 to 50 mg of caffeine per 40-gram serving, according to Consumer Lab testing—which can prevent your body from shutting down when you want it to if you're sensitive to the compound.

Chocolate bars have varying amounts of caffeine, but an average two-ounce, 70 percent dark chocolate bar contains around 79 milligrams. For reference, an eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 145 milligrams. For a different late-night indulgence, try these filling, guilt-free best snacks for weight loss!

15

Don't indulge in a nightcap

Wine is our favorite "healthy" alcoholic drink due to its resveratrol—a plant compound that has been linked to heart-healthy benefits, although more research needs to be done, according to a review published in the journal Nutrients. However, that evening glass of wine is also considered a high-sugar beverage, according to Smith. Drinking too much can hinder your ability to snooze. It may feel like that nightly glass of wine is relaxing you and helping you fall asleep faster, but it actually prevents your body from fully indulging in its REM (Rapid Eye Movement) cycle, which is where truly restful sleep and dreaming occurs.

Enjoy a glass earlier in the night—about two hours before bedtime—to avoid sleep disruption, and close the home bar after one or two glasses, tops.

16

Have more sex

Wanna sleep better and lose more weight? Have more sex. A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine shows that for every extra hour of sleep women got, their sexual desire increased accordingly. And separate research by Adelaide sleep researcher Dr. Michele Lastella showed that the more sex you get, the better you sleep, and the more weight you lose.

17

Splurge on a pillow

When it comes to a better night's sleep, some gadgets are total ripoffs (like those as-seen-on-TV anti-snoring contraptions), but investing in the right pillow is key. "Buying an orthopedic pillow keeps your neck aligned. You'll wake up in the morning with no neck pain," says Smiley.

Not getting enough sleep? Here's What Not Enough Sleep Does to Your Body, Say Doctors.

Eat This, Not That!

Inspired by The New York Times best-selling book series, Eat This, Not That! is a brand that's comprised of an award-winning team of journalists and board-certified experts, doctors, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, and dietitians who work together to bring you accurate, timely, informative, and actionable content on food, nutrition, dieting, weight loss, health, wellness, and more. Read more about Eat This

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How To Lose Weight // Sleep

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