While you can do many beneficial things for your body during the day, there are ways to help your metabolism while you sleep as well. There are certain choices you can make before bedtime that will have an impact on your metabolism and eventually see results. Here are nine ways to help boost your metabolism while you sleep.
Have a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Getting enough sleep at night and having a consistent sleep schedule can help your metabolism and your energy throughout the day. A recent study published in BMC Public Health, suggests that imbalanced sleep does a lot more than make you feel terrible, sleep deprivation also hurts your metabolism. Irregular sleep patterns will make you want to snack more, increase cravings, and increase your stress levels which affect your metabolism.
Eat Cayenne Pepper
Adding spice to your dinner will help raise your metabolic resting rate and slow down your appetite. Spice will help you keep your metabolism going through the night. According to Taz Bhatia, M.D., “Cayenne pepper contains the compound capsaicin that is known to boost metabolism, causing the body to produce extra heat and burn more calories for fuel.”
Workout at Night
Exercise will always have great benefits when you want to lose weight or are trying to boost your metabolism. It is suggested that instead of doing a complete workout in the morning, you can break it up and do a workout in the morning and one in the evening. “This will rev up your metabolic rate twice per day, keeping it constantly elevated,” says Bhatia. It is also important to remember to not exercise too close before bedtime because it can disrupt your sleep.
Lower the Temperature in Your Room
According to research by Dr. Francesco S. Celi and Dr. Paul Lee of Virginia Commonwealth University, it found that subjects who spent a month in exposure to mild cold while they slept showed a 10 percent increase in fat metabolic activity. It also showed changes in metabolic hormones such as leptin and adiponectin. So, it can be worth a try to turn down the thermostat and let your body get to work as you sleep.
Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated throughout the day will allow your body and metabolism to function at their best ability. The recommendation is to drink at least 64 ounces – or 8 cups – of water per day. Specifically, cold water can help your metabolism the best. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2003 found that drinking 500 milliliters of water increased metabolic rate by 30 percent for over an hour. So, drinking plenty of water throughout the day and before bed can help increase your metabolic rate.
Eat a Lean Protein
Eating lean protein before bed can boost your metabolism and stimulate muscle growth, so you should start including it in your dinner. This includes white-fleshed fish, plain Greek yogurt, beans, peas, lentils, chicken, low-fat cottage cheese, and egg whites. A study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that subjects who ate a normal and high protein diet stored 45 percent of their excess calories as muscle.
Consider HIIT Training
A short burst of high intensity-exercise like you would get with HIIT training will help you burn calories and your metabolism even after you stop working out and head to bed. Doing a HIIT workout in the morning or in the evening will always give your health benefits. “If you’re working out, it’s going to increase your metabolism, meaning you’re going to be burning more calories when you’re working out and you’re going to be burning more calories after the workout,” says Avigdor Arad, Ph.D., director of the Mount Sinai PhysioLab.
Drink Green Tea
According to Kris Gunnars, BS, that although most of the studies done on green tea were very short in duration, some evidence suggests that the metabolism-boosting effect persists in the long term. In a study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it found that green tea can raise metabolic rates and speed up fat oxidation. In the end, it all depends on the individual. To gain the benefits of drinking green tea, try to have three cups during the day to boost your metabolism while you sleep.
Eat Grapefruit
Consider having a grapefruit if you are in the mood for a snack right before bed. According to Brianna Elliot, RD, eating grapefruit regularly may have the potential to prevent insulin resistance, and insulin is involved in many aspects of your metabolism. So, eating a grapefruit can help with your metabolic function as you get your sufficient amount of sleep.
