Some like to sleep bundled up under layers of covers, while others prefer to feel a
cool breeze. Whichever is your preference, you may want to adjust your sleeping temperature to an exact number that has been proven to encourage weight loss. Effortless weight loss while you sleep sounds like a dream, but based on a recent study, it may become a reality.
Researchers conducted a study
To find the temperature that will encourage weight loss, researchers at the National Institute of Health Clinical Center conducted a study. For four months, five young men slept in climate-controlled rooms under only sheets and wearing hospital clothes. However, during the day, they were to change nothing in their routine but eat a regulated diet.
During the first and third month, the rooms were kept at 75.2 degrees. The second month dipped down to 66.2 degrees, and the fourth month was held at 80.6 degrees.
The results were significant
The researchers saw significant differences between the coldest and warmest sleeping temperatures. When sleeping at 66.2 degrees during the second month, participants’ brown fat (or “good fat”) increased. On month four, sleeping at 80.6 degrees, participants’ bodies actually decreased in brown fat levels.
Increased levels of brown fat encourages weight loss
If you can regulate the temperature at which you sleep, 66.2 degrees has been proven to increase your chances at weight loss. However, anywhere between 60 and 67 degrees will still be beneficial. At this temperature range, your brown fat levels will increase, and therefore, so will your metabolism.
Your body is working harder
Brown fat is often referred to as “good fat” because it’s actually making your body work harder to generate heat. When your body is colder, it’s trying to reach its normal 98.6 degrees, so increased levels of brown fat will result in burning “over 7% more calories than those who dozed in warmer rooms,” Reader’s Digest noted about the study.
Your risk of metabolic disease will be reduced
Due to the increase in metabolism caused by sleeping in cooler temperatures, you’ll reduce your risk of metabolic disease. The sleep study found that insulin sensitivity was increased at 66.2 degrees, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes.
You’ll be more likely to lose weight at night in addition to increased calorie burning during the day, according to The New York Times. This combination of benefits will reduce the risk of metabolic diseases and improve your overall health.
You’ll radiate with youth
Sleeping between 60 and 67 degrees will actually keep you looking more youthful. Naturopathic doctor Natasha Turner has found that keeping the temperature down will release melatonin (an anti-aging hormone), and cool your body naturally. Once your body cools down, it will also release higher levels of anti-aging growth hormones.
You’ll sleep better
Not only will sleeping in cooler temperatures help you sleep deeper, but you’ll fall asleep faster. According to Kathleen Doheny of WebMD Magazine, if your body is too hot or too cold, it takes more time to adjust to its desired internal temperature, therefore keeping you from falling asleep. Plus, if your body doesn’t reach its desired internal temperature at night, you probably won’t sleep as deeply as you would in a 60 to 67 degree room.
In addition to feeling well-rested from better sleep, you’ll wake up feeling thinner and younger. Beauty rest has officially taken on a whole new meaning.
This article originally published on CheatSheet.com by Chelsea Leary