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How to Burn More Calories While You Sleep
If only you could work off the calories from that froyo you had earlier while passed out on the couch. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it may not be that far off: Turning down the thermostat while you sleep could help rev up your metabolism, according to a new study conducted by the National Institute of Health Clinical Center.
For the study, 31 healthy people slept in either a 75-degree room or a 66-degree room. Researchers found that the colder sleepers burned more than 7 percent more calories than the warm sleepers—likely because their bodies were working to raise their core body temperature to a stable 98.6 degrees, says study author Francesco Saverio Celi, MD, MHSc, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.
If you lowered the thermostat to 66 degrees at bedtime, you could burn an extra 100 calories over the course of 24 sleeping hours, according to study results. That might not sound like much, but it adds up—in theory at least.
See, researchers don’t yet know whether your body compensates for these calories in another way—like by making you hungrier or less amped to work out when you’re awake, says Celi. Still, if you’re trying to lose a few pounds, it can’t hurt to turn down the temperature before you crawl under the covers. Just make sure you don’t pile on the blankets or wear your warmest pajamas at the same time: You can’t expect to see results unless you tough it out in the cold, says Celi.
photo: Creatas/Thinkstock
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The Night You’re Most Likely to Have Sleep Trouble
Need to catch up on sleep? Don’t plan to do it on Sunday night. Compared to other nights of the week, people have the most difficulty falling asleep on Sundays, according to new findings from the market research company Toluna Omnibus.
In the survey, more than 3,000 adults across the country weighed in on how long it takes them to fall asleep each evening. The results: Two out of five people said they have the most trouble drifting off on Sunday nights. Among them, 70 percent said they toss and turn up to 30 minutes longer on Sundays. What’s more, of the people who didn’t report having trouble falling asleep on Sunday nights, a quarter said they still worry they will have difficulty.
So what makes it so hard to get rest on the night when you really need it to start your workweek on the right note? Study author Michael Breus, PhD, a sleep expert and a clinical psychologist, says the answer is two-fold: First, you tend to change your typical routine on weekends. And when you hit the sack after midnight on Friday and Saturday, your body isn’t quite ready for bed when you try to tuck in earlier on Sunday.
Stress is another big reason you might struggle to snooze on Sundays. When your Monday-morning to-do list is top of mind, it can be tough to relax and drift off to sleep.
While Breus says sleep is important every night of the week to support your health and productivity, getting seven to nine hours of sleep on Sunday nights is absolutely vital—it helps you fully recharge and establish a sound sleep schedule for the workweek to come.
Need help sleeping soundly on Sundays (or any night, for that matter)? Follow these tips to get the shuteye you need.
photo: Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock
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Allergies Can Ruin a Good Night’s Sleep
Blossoming flowers and blooming trees are gorgeous, but for the 40 million Americans living with allergies, they can also be a major bummer. See, allergies don’t just make you miserable during your waking hours: They can also mess with your sleep, according to a new survey released by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and Teva Respiratory, a subsidiary of a pharmaceutical company.
Of the 2,000 U.S. adults polled, 59 percent reported having sleep issues. In the survey, this was defined as any kind of sleep disruption, although previous research has linked allergies with a more serious sleep disorder—obstructive sleep apnea—because of their nasal allergy symptoms.
In addition to the nearly six out of 10 allergy sufferers who said their allergies impacted their sleep quality, 48 percent said that their symptoms also interrupted their partner’s sleep.
Want to make allergy season much more bearable—and keep it from messing with your Zzzzs? Arm yourself with these tools and strategies:
The Best OTC Seasonal Allergy Meds
How to Look Your Best This Allergy Season
Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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How Your Diet Affects Your Sleep
The food you eat has an impact on more than just your digestive system–turns out, it can also mess with your shuteye. The variety of food you eat may play a key role in determining your sleep cycle, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Researchers looked at data from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They grouped survey subjects according to how much time they spent sleeping on average each night—very short (less than 5 hours), short (5 – 6 hours), standard (7 – 8 hours), and long (9-plus hours). They then analyzed the diets of each sleeping group. They found that the people who slept an average 7-8 hours a night ate the greatest variety of food and nutrients, and shortest sleepers consumed the lowest variety of food and nutrients.
Or, to put it simply: Eat more (types of food), sleep more.
“In general, a healthy diet likely promotes good sleep,” says researcher Michael A. Grandner, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and member of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania. “Also, poor sleep can lead to unhealthy changes in your diet by affecting the hormones that control hunger and appetite, as well as your ability to make healthy choices.”
Grandner says that no individual nutrients seem to drive sleep patterns, but researchers may find specific links in the future, and that calorie intake wasn’t a major factor across groups. It’s “more about the quality of what you are eating, not so much how much you are eating.,” he says. So eat a varied diet — which includes a healthy mix of carbs, protein, vitamins and minerals — to get the best rest. Start by adding these 14 superfoods to your grocery cart this week.
photo: Shutterstock
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How to Sleep With a Man (and Actually Sleep)
If your guy goes by the alias “snore machine,” you may have good reason to cozy up to the couch: Poor sleep can make you feel ungrateful and taken for granted in your relationship, according to research recently presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
University of California, Berkeley, researchers examined the correlation between sleep and gratitude through a series of studies, each of more than 60 couples ages 18 to 56. In one experiment, participants kept a diary of their sleep patterns and their appreciation of their significant other. In another, researchers watched couples working together on problem-solving tasks, and observed that those who had slept badly the night before showed their partner less appreciation.
“Poor sleep may make us more selfish as we prioritize our own needs over our partner’s,” says lead researcher Amie Gordon, a psychologist and doctoral student at UC Berkeley. But here’s the kicker: Because sleep-deprived people are more likely to skimp on shows of gratitude, both partners end up feeling taken for granted. “You may have slept like a baby, but if your partner didn’t, you’ll probably both end up grouchy,” says Gordon, whose previous research has shown that expressing gratitude is vital to relationship satisfaction and longevity.
Can’t remember the last time you got a good night’s rest during a sleepover? Here’s how to beat your biggest co-sleeping complaints:
He Snores… A Lot
This Valentine’s Day, give him the gift of a high-loft pillow—which is designed with the highest point at the middle—to keep him from rolling onto his back. Since people experience the most airway instability when they’re face-up, side sleeping can help prevent airway vibrations and sleepless nights, says Ulysses J. Magalang, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. If the snoring is severe, suggest he ask his doc about sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing stops during sleep that can cause extreme fatigue for both parties.
You Fight Over the Covers
It’s simple: Get two comforters. In Scandinavia, Germany, and Austria, couples often cover their beds with two twin-sized, side-by-side comforters and forgo cover wars altogether. If you pride yourself on a Pinterest-worthy bedroom, drape a coverlet over the top of the comforters to tidy the look.
He Likes to Sleep with the TV On
Eye masks can help block out light. Meanwhile earplugs can help muffle any noises that go bump in the night, says Magalang, who notes that light and noise are the most common problems for bed sharers. If earplugs don’t do the job—or just feel funny to you—suggest that your Late Show-loving beau wear super-thin and squishy headphones designed specifically for sleepers. Try Bedphones, $ 30, bedphones.com.
He Kicks in His Sleep
While a makeshift pillow barrier can soften blows, nighttime thrashing deserves a doctor’s visit. It can be a symptom of a whole host of sleep disorders including REM sleep behavior disorder, in which the paralysis that normally occurs during REM sleep is incomplete or absent, allowing the sleeper to act out dreams. Or if your kicker also happens to be a snorer, he might be suffering from sleep apnea and jolting as his breathing stops and he wakes up, Magalang says.
You Have Different Sleep Schedules
Your beau’s blaring alarm is the last thing you want to hear when you have two more hours to sleep. Consider a silent vibrating alarm clock that fits in a pillowcase or on a wrist, Magalang suggests. Try Shake-n-Wake zzZ Silent Alarm Clock, $ 14, amazon.com.
photo: Shutterstock.com
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ALERT: You May Be OD’ing on Sleep Meds
Scary news: Even if you take your sleeping pills as directed, you might be overdosing. Just last week, the FDA released revised guidelines about the recommended dosage of certain popular sleep meds. They now say that women’s doses should be cut in HALF. The change follows research that found that larger doses of a drug that contains zolpidem (like Ambien, Edluar, and Zolpimist) can seriously impair next-morning alertness, even after a full night of rest.
In the study, 500 people took the old recommended dose (10 mg) of a zolpidem-containing sleeping pill, and slept for eight hours. When they woke up, 15 percent of the women had enough of the drug left in their blood to impair their driving. Those who took an extended-release zolpidem pill faired even worse: 33 percent of women woke up with zolpidem levels that were higher than ideal. In both cases, fewer men had high blood levels of the drug in the a.m.
Even if you feel well rested the morning after a zolpidem-induced slumber, your behavior may still be impaired, says FDA spokesperson Sandy Walsh. That’s bad news for the 5,670,000 women who were prescribed zolpidem-containing meds in 2011, according to the latest data from the FDA. After all, the new findings join many known side effects of sleeping pills, such as drowsiness, dizziness, diarrhea, and “drugged feelings”.
The new recommended dose for immediate-release sleep aids is 5 mg, while a safe dose of an extended-release pill has been reduced to 6.25 mg. But to keep a clear mind on the job and behind the wheel–and still get the rest you need–ask your doctor to reassess your dosage before you adjust it on your own. In the meantime, never mix sleeping pills with alcohol or other drugs that make you sleepy, which could exacerbate the side effects.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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ALERT: You May Be OD’ing on Sleep Meds
Scary news: Even if you take your sleeping pills as directed, you might be overdosing. Just last week, the FDA released revised guidelines about the recommended dosage of certain popular sleep meds. They now say that women’s doses should be cut in HALF. The change follows research that found that larger doses of a drug that contains zolpidem (like Ambien, Edluar, and Zolpimist) can seriously impair next-morning alertness, even after a full night of rest.
In the study, 500 people took the old recommended dose (10 mg) of a zolpidem-containing sleeping pill, and slept for eight hours. When they woke up, 15 percent of the women had enough of the drug left in their blood to impair their driving. Those who took an extended-release zolpidem pill faired even worse: 33 percent of women woke up with zolpidem levels that were higher than ideal. In both cases, fewer men had high blood levels of the drug in the a.m.
Even if you feel well rested the morning after a zolpidem-induced slumber, your behavior may still be impaired, says FDA spokesperson Sandy Walsh. That’s bad news for the 5,670,000 women who were prescribed zolpidem-containing meds in 2011, according to the latest data from the FDA. After all, the new findings join many known side effects of sleeping pills, such as drowsiness, dizziness, diarrhea, and “drugged feelings”.
The new recommended dose for immediate-release sleep aids is 5 mg, while a safe dose of an extended-release pill has been reduced to 6.25 mg. But to keep a clear mind on the job and behind the wheel–and still get the rest you need–ask your doctor to reassess your dosage before you adjust it on your own. In the meantime, never mix sleeping pills with alcohol or other drugs that make you sleepy, which could exacerbate the side effects.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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Discover surprising walking tips, tricks, and techniques to melt fat fast and get a tighter, firmer butt with Walk Your Butt Off! Buy it now!
9 Ways to Sleep Better Tonight
Have trouble dozing off at night? Put away your Sleepytime tea—a new technology might help you catch more ZZZs. A study published online in the journal Brain and Behavior suggests that a special therapy that matches musical tones to brain frequencies may reduce symptoms of insomnia.
Twenty people with signs of insomnia participated in the study. First, researchers established the participants’ Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)—a scale that measures sleep disruption. Then they separated the participants into two groups—a control group, and a group that was given a therapy called high-resolution, relational, resonance-based, electroencephalic mirroring (HIRREM), or, as it’s commercially known, Brainwave Optimization™.
HIRREM involves using sensors to detect electrical frequency bands in the brain. Once scientists identify a specific frequency, they assign it a coordinating musical tone, which is then played back to participants via earbuds within 12 milliseconds of frequency detection. The musical tones reportedly help correct any frequency imbalances between the two hemispheres of the brain. (Those imbalances can be caused by trauma, or extended periods of stress, which create a fight or flight response in the brain, according to Charles Tegeler, M.D., professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist and principal investigator of the study.)
Participants who received the HIRREM therapy showed a significant drop in their ISI. The control group members, who originally reported no sleep improvement without the HIRREM, were also later administered the treatment and saw a significant drop in their ISI scores as well. (Disclaimer: The study was funded by a grant from Brain State Technologies, LLC, Scottsdale, Ariz., the company that owns the technology used in the study.)
While Tegeler says you probably can’t replicate these results at home, there are other ways to get better sleep that don’t involve an EEG. Try these tips the next time you need to get some serious shut-eye:
Don’t Focus on Sleeping
The more you think about the sleep you are missing, the more stressed you will be. And more stress means even less sleep. If you wake up and can’t fall back asleep within 15-20 minutes, get out of bed. Do something relaxing outside of the bedroom, like listening to music or reading. If you lie there stressing out about falling back asleep, you’ll only get more anxious. Understand that sometimes the quality of your slumber is out of your control.
Stick to a Schedule
Regularity is sleep’s best friend. Try and adhere to a strict bedtime and wake time every day, even on the weekends. When your body has a routine, it knows when to start winding down and preparing for sleep.
Check for Sleep Apnea
Snoring is common, and although it’s usually harmless, it could be a symptom of a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. If you have long pauses in your snoring (ask a friend/bedmate to listen), see your doctor. Sleep apnea, while sometimes life threatening, can be treated.
Turn to the Tub
Your mom knew a thing or two about nighttime baths. The body starts to feel sleepy when it’s temperature drops. You can exaggerate that effect by taking a warm bath or shower and then lying down and letting your body heat get low.
Block Out the Light
Even just a little bit of light can disturb your sleep. So make sure to shut off all your night lights and hallway lamps, not to mention TVs, laptops, tablets, and phones, well before you head for bed.
Exercise Earlier
Regular exercise can actually improve your sleep but you need to schedule it for the right time. Working out too close to bedtime may cause your body temperature to stay elevated, which makes it harder to doze off. Try to finish exercising at least three hours before bedtime–preferably in the afternoon.
Avoid Heavy Foods and Booze
Consuming heavy foods or alcohol before bed can cause indigestion, not to mention frequent trips to the bathroom. And although drinking alcohol may make you tired and help you fall asleep faster, you will wake up more often and not get the quality of sleep you need to feel rested the next day.
Upgrade Your Pillow
Choose a pillow that is supportive, comfortable, and suited to your sleeping position. A stomach sleeper and a side sleeper may need different pillows. Find the best pillow for your sleep habits.
Knock Boots
Yep, sex before bed can help you fall asleep faster, too. Getting frisky releases feel-good endorphins which can relieve stress, making it easier to fall asleep. Sounds good to us.
Additional reporting from the editors of Women’s Health.
Image: Stockbyte/Thinkstock
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The Secret to Better Sleep
Your muffin top is keeping you up at night. According to a new study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, losing weight, especially around your midsection, can improve the quality of your sleep.
Researchers asked 77 participants to fill out a form discussing their sleeping problems, including sleep apnea, fatigue, insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleep and use of sedatives. The study subjects then followed a weight loss plan for 6 months, resulting in an average loss of 15 pounds and 15 percent reduction in belly fat per person. At the end of the study period, participants reported about a 20 percent increase in their overall sleep scores.
“Fat, and particularly belly fat, interferes with lung function,” says Kerry J. Stewart, Ed.D., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and one of the study authors. “It becomes harder for the lungs to expand because fat is in the way.” When your lungs can’t expand at full capacity, breathing becomes more difficult. Difficult breathing leads to sleep problems, like sleep apnea. Inversely, the less fat around your belly, the less interference with lung functioning—and the better you’ll sleep.
While a good night’s rest is important for looking and performing your best in daily actives, it also plays a vital role in protecting your heart, Stewart says. Disturbed sleep, from sleep apnea or other disorders, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. “Sleep apnea is much more common in obese people and also likely causes weight gain, too,” he says. “There is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.”
To get rid of belly fat for good, try this core-revitalizing workout from The Women’s Health Big Book of Abs. With this workout, you’ll activate more muscle, burn hundreds of calories, and work all of your core muscles with every exercise.
How to do it
Perform this workout three times a week. Alternate between Workout A and Workout B three days a week, resting at least a day between each session. When you see a number with a letter next to it (such as 1A, 1B), that means the exercises are performed as a circuit. For each circuit, do 1 set of each exercise in succession.
top photo: Hemera/Thinkstock; workout photos: Beth Bischoff
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Get even more workouts with The Women’s Health Big Book of Abs. Pick up your copy today!