Does Sleeping Cooler Burn More Calories?

We've written about sleep and weight loss by understanding the link between diet and sleep. Part two of the story explains how to burn extra fat without an extra trip to the gym.

It's staggering what we are willing to do to maintain or lose weight and stay in shape. Over 55 million people belong to health and fitness centers across the United States. These clubs generate a whopping $25 billion a year.

This is just the beginning.

An article in Consumer Reports says while memberships in clubs are growing, two-thirds of us prefer to work out at home, spending billions more on treadmills and exercise equipment. [1] In addition, it is estimated that billions more are spent on dietary supplements and meal replacement plans to lose weight.

Why are we spending so much time, money, and effort on weight loss when the answer may simply lie in better sleep?

Research indicates sleeping cold may be the way to lose belly fat.

Understanding Calories Burned While Sleeping

Sleeping is a complex process that involves various bodily functions, including burning calories. While it’s true that you burn more calories while awake, your body still uses energy to maintain basic functions during sleep.

We’ll take a look at the factors that can affect the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and how it relates to calories burned while sleeping.

What Factors Affect the Basal Metabolic Rate?

The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest, including while sleeping. Several factors can impact your BMR, including:

• Age: As you age, your BMR tends to decrease, which means you burn fewer calories at rest.
• Sex: Men generally have a higher BMR than women, which means they burn more calories at rest.
• Weight: Your body weight can affect your BMR, with more muscle mass leading to a higher BMR.
• Height: Your height can also impact your BMR, with taller individuals tending to have a higher BMR.
• Body Composition: Your body composition, including muscle mass and body fat percentage, can affect your BMR.

Understanding these factors can help you better grasp how many calories you burn while sleeping and how your body weight and composition play a role in your overall energy expenditure.

For a better understanding, GNC wrote a blog describing what can affect your basal metabolic rate.

Do You Burn Calories When You Sleep?

Yes, you do burn calories when you sleep. While the number of calories burned is relatively small compared to calories burned while awake, it’s still an important aspect of your overall energy expenditure.

On average, a person burns around 50 calories per hour while sleeping, which translates to around 400 calories per 8-hour sleep period. This calorie burning is important for maintaining basic bodily functions and contributes to your total daily energy expenditure.

Did You Know: Brown fat burns calories to generate heat, which may actually assist in weight loss

Does Sleeping Cold Burn Calories?

A study published in the journal “Diabetes” suggests that sleeping in cooler temperatures may help us attack belly fat while we sleep.

When you first fall asleep, you enter the initial stages of sleep, which are crucial for setting the stage for effective calorie burning during sleep. Belly fat is considered “white fat”, the type of fat we want to reduce. “Brown fat” is considered good fat and is found in much smaller amounts. Brown fat helps improve our metabolism and assists the body in losing weight.

Participants in the study maintained their normal daily habits over four months but each evening returned to sleep in temperature-controlled chambers.

Researchers kept sleeping rooms at a neutral 75 degrees for the first month and, in the following month, reduced temperatures to 66 degrees. For the third month, temperatures were returned to the neutral temperature of 75 degrees before being increased to a warm temperature of 81 degrees for the final month. The amount of brown fat was measured after each month during the study.

The results were that the colder temperatures noticeably changed the participant’s bodies. After the month of sleeping at the colder 66-degree temperatures, volumes of good or brown fat had almost doubled. Does being cold burn fat? The study found that they had indeed lost belly fat from sleeping cold.

It is important to note that sleeping cold is not sleeping at shivering temperatures, and shivering is not the way you lose weight while sleeping cold. Even at neutral temperatures, you’ll burn a number of calories based on your body weight.

How Many Calories Do You Burn Sleeping?

Does sleeping burn calories? The answer is yes! According to Livestrong, the following are some examples:

• A 200-pound person burns 86 calories per hour, or 688 for eight hours.
• If you weigh 160 pounds, you burn approximately 69 calories per hour while sleeping. That would add up to 552 calories while you sleep for eight hours
• If you are a 120-pound person, you’ll burn 51 calories per hour while sleeping.

Part of what the survey discovered is that sleeping cold increases REM sleep. This can burn as much as 140 extra calories per night while sleeping. That can be significant because over a year it can lead to losing as much as 14 pounds. So, being cold and sleeping cold to a degree has been proven to burn calories.

Note: Calories burned while sleeping depend on their personal BMR. (Basal Metabolic Rate)

Sleep Cold the Easy Way

Sleeping cold has been demonstrated to provide weight loss benefits, improve memory, reduce stress, and add physical strength and overall health and immunity.

Bed Cooling Systems

Sleeping cooler is easier than ever with the Chilipad Dock Pro and Cube System. These innovative bed cooling systems and mattress toppers allow you to customize your sleep temperature for optimal comfort throughout the night.

Each uses advanced water-based cooling technology. The systems regulate your bed’s temperature, helping to reduce overheating and improve sleep quality. Whether you need a cool retreat on warm nights or precise temperature control for restorative rest, these cooling systems provide a personalized and refreshing sleep experience.

Temperature-Regulated Sheets

Another way to keep your body cooler at night is to have cooling sheets. These temperature-regulating sheets move moisture quickly away from the body, creating a cooler, more comfortable sleeping environment.

Final Thought

Ultimately, while exercise and diet are vital for weight management, the quality of your sleep plays a significant role. Research suggests that sleeping in a cooler environment can increase brown fat levels, potentially boosting calorie burning and aiding in fat loss.

By optimizing your sleep environment with a cooling system like the Chilipad Dock Pro, you can improve your sleep quality and potentially enhance your weight management efforts. Quality sleep is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, and your body will thank you.