Despite trying different diets, a myriad of weight loss products and even exercise, some people find it impossible shed those stubborn extra pounds. Amazingly, the simple trick that is missing could simply be that what you need to do is sleep more to lose that weight! With just this one change you could accelerate your program without the need for any extra gadgets or pills

It has been shown by several studies not only that if you sleep longer, but also sleep well it will help you lose weight even without the need for dieting.

The Science Behind The Theory

• The more you sleep, the less you can eat - while awake you will constantly fight those food cravings which are responsible for making you put on weight. If you are asleep you won’t be aware of these cravings, thereby eating less.

• More sleep increases your willpower as sleep deprivation affects your reasoning skills making you ´weaker´ with less ability to resist the foods you know you shouldn´t be eating.

• You will exercise more as having a good nights sleep will give you much more energy and make you feel better which in turn will make you more inclined to feel like exercising - which aids weight loss.

• If you have a cortisol imbalance you will feel like you are hungry more often. Not only that, it also affects how much is stored in our bodies. To restore this cortisol balance you need to get more sleep which will help you get a regular balance of the hormone. This in turn will mean that you do not have false hunger pangs, which make you eat more than you need and put on extra weight.

• In the same way two chemicals named leptin and ghrelin are also affected by lack of proper sleep. Leptin is the one that makes you feel hungrier. Ghrelin is the one which will make you feel fuller. With sleep deprivation ghrelin levels are reduced while leptin levels are increased - so you will feel like you want to keep eating when in fact you have had enough.

• The metabolization of carbohydrates is changed by lack of sleep as most people will find it hard to digest carbohydrates without enough sleep. If this is the case then more of the calories consumed will be stored in your body as fat instead being burned. These excess carbohydrates can also increase insulin resistance and rising levels of blood sugar which are symptoms of diabetes (Type II).

• HGH (Human Growth Hormone) levels will drop without enough sleep. People usually associate this with children as it helps them to grow but it is also relevant in adults only that rather than making them grow, it will affect the proportion of muscle to fat. Reduced levels of HGH will increases the amount of food calories that are stored as reserves of fat .

There you have quite a few reasons of why sleep is so important in your weight reduction regime. You might find that adding this to exercise and a healthy diet will kick start your weight reduction or speed it up!

If you find ways to improve the quality and amount of sleep that you get it could have a great impact not only on your general health, but also on your weight. In no time you will be looking and feeling better.