Do Sleep Stages Affect Calories?

Not all sleep stages burn the same amount of calories. While basic functions such as breathing and circulation continue throughout the night, the body’s energy requirements ebb and flow.

The most energy-intensive sleep stage is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep, our heart rate increases and our brain exhibits activity patterns similar to daytime levels. The heightened brain activity requires more glucose, leading to a higher metabolism.

By contrast, in stage three “deep” sleep, heart rate, respiration, core body temperature, and brain activity dwindle to a minimum. This is when the growth hormone is released, and it’s thought that stage three sleep plays an important role in the immune system. However, the brain requires less glucose during stage three sleep, so metabolism tends to be at its lowest.

Can You Increase the Number of Calories You Burn During Sleep?

To increase the number of calories you burn during sleep, you would need to increase your basal metabolic rate. The easiest way to do this is by eating right, getting enough exercise, and sleeping well.

Since we burn more calories when awake, it’s not surprising that skipping one night of sleep causes us to temporarily burn more calories. However, in the long term, substantial research has shown that a chronic lack of sleep is linked to obesity.

A lack of sleep causes surges in hormone that make you crave high-calorie foods. Sleep loss also raises cortisol levels, which affects your body’s ability to regulate glucose and may contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, and even type 2 diabetes. And while the extra time awake may result in more calories being burned, restricting calories while sleep-deprived leads to the body burning lean mass instead of fat.

Given that the brain burns more calories during REM sleep, sleep interruptions that affect the time spent in this stage can have an impact on the calories you burn. Adopting proper sleep hygiene habits and creating a cool, dark, quiet bedroom environment can encourage your body to cycle naturally through the sleep stages and optimize your metabolism while sleeping.

The link between sound sleep and metabolism is clearly shown in people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that causes fragmented sleep due to repeated lapses in breathing. Obesity and OSA often go hand-in-hand, suggesting that one condition may exacerbate the other (5).

Exercise, Diet, and Sleep

Some studies have found that eating too close to bedtime can lead to weight gain, though a more important factor seems to be the type of food you eat. If you feel compelled to indulge in a midnight snack, stay away from junk food, and opt for a light and healthy snack instead. As a bonus, a healthier diet, in turn, improves sleep quality.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help you regularize your sleep schedule, improve your muscle-to-fat ratio, and boost your metabolism. Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol before bed. While caffeine does cause a temporary spike in metabolism, it interferes with sleep and is not an effective weight-loss strategy.

HEALY WATCH - THE GIFT OF SLEEP