We’ve always been told that if we want to lose weight, we need to put in the effort. Whether it’s a juice cleanse or a HIIT session, a significant amount of willpower is required from us. However, recent studies show that we can actually shed those kilos by making one simple tweak – that requires practically no effort!
Rather than sleeping with just the fan on, it seems that it is beneficial to get a good night’s rest in cooler temperatures. According to this guide by the National Sleep Foundation, the temperature of your room should ideally be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit i.e. approximately 18 degrees Celsius.
Essentially, by subjecting your body to colder temperatures, you can actually rev up your metabolism. According to a 2013 study in The Journal Of Clinical Investigation, frequent exposure to the cold increases the activity of brown adipose tissue in your body. The function of this tissue is to produce heat when activated by the cold. By elevating the volume of such tissue, you can increase the energy expenditure of your body and burn more calories.
Another study in 2014 also supported this finding. After decreasing the temperature of the room to 19 degrees Celsius (from the previous temperature of 24 degrees Celsius) for one month, the participants had a 42% increase in brown adipose tissue and a 10% increase in overall fat metabolic activity.
If all this wasn’t enough to convince you to crank down the temperature, here are some additional reasons to do so:
1. You Can Fall Asleep Faster
In order to feel sleepy, the core temperature of your body needs to drop. Lying down in a cold room facilitates this process and encourages you to fall asleep. If your room is too hot, you will find yourself tossing and turning whilst your body tries to bring down its temperatures.
2. You Will Get More Restful Sleep
Did you know that cooler environments can decrease certain types of insomnia? By lowering your body temperatures, you can get deeper and more restorative sleep. Hot environments have proven to show an increase in wakefulness and a decrease in slow wave sleep. Thus, for better quality of rest, it’s best to lay in a cold room.
3. You Boost Your Melatonin Levels
If you sleep in a hot room, not only will you be restless, but will also prevent your body from releasing melatonin. This hormone plays several important roles in our body deals with both, our mental and physical health. Not only does it regulate and lift your mood, but also works to support your immune system and keep it healthy. To trigger melatonin production, it’s vital to sleep in a cool and dark room.
4. You Lower The Risk For Certain Metabolic Diseases
Studies have shown that by changing the sleep environment from 24 degrees Celsius to 19 degrees Celsius improves the insulin sensitivity of your body. This is important as having a low insulin sensitivity can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Whilst we still propagate eating healthy and exercising regularly, it’s good to know that a simple change can really boost all our efforts. If you would like to maximise the benefits, try sleeping au naturale or with a thin blanket. Keep your room dark and avoid using your phone or watching television before bed. All this will improve the quality of your sleep, regulate your mood and of course, help you lose weight!
If you do try this trick out or have been practicing it for years, we would love to hear about your experience. For those of you who suffer from insomnia, here are some additional tips to help you out.
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