Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
How Afternoon Naps Can Aid in Weight Loss

How Afternoon Naps Can Aid in Weight Loss

Listen to this article
0:00/0:00

A quick nap can do wonders for your weight loss and overall health.

Highlights:
  • Afternoon naps regulate hunger hormones and reduce cravings
  • Napping lowers cortisol levels, preventing stress-related weight gain
  • A quick nap restores energy, aiding fitness and better decision-making
Lazy afternoon rest which used to earn stigma and laziness labels now reveals significant health benefits to society. The connection between napping and weight loss and metabolic wellness now stands revealed in current research by Harvard. The weight loss results from a mix of dietary changes exercise and proper night’s rest and adding sufficiently timed afternoon nap sessions may uncover hidden advantages toward your weight loss goal (1 Trusted Source
Should I take afternoon naps?

Go to source
).

Advertisement

Improved Hormonal Balance

The human body controls hunger using specific hormones, which require sleep to maintain proper balance. A lack of sleep leads your body to make higher levels of appetite-stimulating ghrelin and reduce your fullness-signaling hormone leptin. When your hormones are unbalanced, you will eat more and crave high-calorie foods specifically those high in sugar. Restful afternoon naps work to stabilize hormones, which then leads to decreased food cravings while improving your eating choices.


Advertisement

Reduced Cortisol Levels and Stress-Related Weight Gain

The metabolic process initially triggered by stress plays a considerable role in weight gain wherever the weight develops into abdominal fat. Your body releases cortisol, which leads to increased fat storage because of hormone activation. When stress becomes chronic, it may cause people to consume more food while triggering weight gain. Having a quick midday rest enables your body to relieve stress by decreasing cortisol levels and allowing a complete reset. People who experience reduced stress because of napping tend to eat with more awareness while avoiding emotionally triggered food consumption.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Energy Boost for Physical Activity

The feeling of exhaustion frequently causes individuals to miss their workout sessions or produce reduced exercise performance. Taking a 20 to 30-minute daytime nap benefits both your physical performance and your energy production during this time of day. A stamina increase helps you maintain your desired fitness activities, including walking to the gym and practicing yoga. Exercise that happens repeatedly contributes heavily to body weight loss and muscle development.


Prevention of Afternoon Energy Slumps

Individuals often experience regular energy levels decreasing during afternoon hours, so they reach for sugary and caffeinated foods to remain awake. These additional calories build quickly. Taking a short nap at the right time provides your body and mind with refreshments through insufficient calories for additional stimulation or energy boost.

The metabolic stability of a properly rested body remains higher. Schedule your sleep rest to 30 minutes or under because brief slumbers eliminate fatigue buildup which results in improved total sleep times. Quality nighttime sleep helps your body burn fat naturally while stopping you from reaching for snacks in the late night hours.

Tips for Effective Napping

Nap Duration: Limit your naps to 20–30 minutes. Sleeping for extended periods will produce an unfocused state, which rests against healthy night-time sleep patterns.

Timing: Napping works best for your body at the midpoint of the daytime between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM which matches your body's natural downward energy trend.

Environment: Dominating your napping environment should be unperturbed by light levels and should always stay dim while remaining silent and maintaining low temperatures. You should prioritize rest by using either an eye mask and or a white noise machine.

Set an Alarm: Setting an alarm with a timer helps you control your brief naps to their recommended length.

Napping delivers double benefits for your body including weight control alongside enhanced mental clarity along with improved productivity. Research performed by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration measured how napping enhances decision-making skills while boosting creativity along with keeping people more alert. The supportive weight loss effects stem from your maintained health focus that decreases random unhealthy food consumption.

Slipping into afternoon naps serves dual purposes because they offer both health benefits and effective weight loss support. Napping proves beneficial to weight management by balancing hormones combined with stress reduction and energy elevation and decision-making enhancement providing a comprehensive approach to wellness.

Reference:
  1. Should I take afternoon naps? - (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-i-take-afternoon-naps)

Source-Medindia


Advertisement

Home

Consult

e-Book

Articles

News

Calculators

Drugs

Directories

Education

Consumer

Professional