While late nights are commonly linked to long-term health concerns, such as weight gain, recent discoveries suggest a potential connection between staying up late and weight loss.
In fact, staying up late to burn some extra calories sounds just like the perfect recipe. After all, more waking hours naturally means more physical movement than what you would have done if you were to fall asleep.
However, this idea of staying up late to lose weight is far newer when compared to other weight loss trends. Thus, first we need to scrutinize what the experts have got to say about the link between staying up late and calorie burn.
So, which one fares better when it comes to calorie burn—those who thrive in the nocturnal hours or the early birds who prioritize a timely bedtime? If you’ve been trying to lose weight, today’s blog holds the answers for you.
In the ongoing discussion, let’s find out does staying up late burn calories or is it just a fad!
Key Insights:
- We all know that sleeping properly can help lose weight but recently the idea of staying up late to burn calories has been getting all the attention.
- Research shows that staying up late can actually help burn extra calories initially..
- In comparison to calories burned during sleeping vs awake, the results vary depending upon different factors.
In answering whether staying up late will really offer any substantial calorie burn, we need to consider both the pros and cons of delaying your nap time.
Does Staying Up Late Burn Calories?
While staying up late leads to weight gain because of late-night cravings due to an increase in cortisol, things have changed recently. In a study published in The Journal of Physiology, sleep deprivation increases energy expenditure and burns calories.
The study included 7 healthy participants aged 22 ± 5 years. These participants maintained an approximately 8-hour-per-night sleep schedule for 1 week before the study and consumed a weight-maintenance diet for 3 days prior to and during the protocol.
This was followed by a 40-hour period of sleep deprivation and 8 hours of scheduled recovery sleep.
Findings show that in comparison to the base hour, 24 h energy expenditure was significantly increased by about 7% during the first 24 hours of sleep deprivation.
Also, during the night time, energy expenditure was significantly increased by approx. 32% on the sleep deprivation night.
The results indicate that you can actually burn an extra 134 calories. In fact, in the study, some participants burned an extra 160 calories.
These findings support the hypothesis that sleep conserves energy and that sleep deprivation increases total daily energy expenditure in humans.
But Is It Good To Stay Up Late To Burn Extra Calories?
Even though staying up late burns calories, the real question is—is staying up longer to burn more calories worth it? Is it actually safe to do so?
The answer is no. Because in order to burn enough calories to help with weight management, you need to do it for a prolonged period of time.
Notably, sleep-deprivation for extended hours can actually give rise to a lot of health issues.
The hormonal imbalance, the cravings, the increase in anxiety, and mood swings will, in fact, add to the weight gain process.
Even if we take a scientific approach and consider the above-mentioned studies, while the energy expenditure increased by 7% and 32%, there was a significant decrease of 5% in energy expenditure during the recovery and about 4% during the sleep deprivation night.
Therefore, while staying up at night does burn calories, the effect is not long-lasting. In fact, the study itself suggests that it is not the recommended way to burn extra calories.
So, what should you do, should you sleep to burn extra calories?
Calories Burned Sleeping vs Awake: Which is Better?
Before people knew that staying up late could burn extra calories by boosting the metabolism, most were aware of the fact that sleeping can actually help with weight loss.
So, which one is better—calories burned during sleep vs awake? The body is always burning calories whether you are sleeping or awake.
However, the calories burned vary during sleep and when you are awake, depending on your metabolism and BMI.
It also varies based on factors, such as your age, gender, genetics, activity level, and any underlying health conditions.
So, how many calories do I burn while sleeping?
As per our research, a person burns around 0.42 calories per pound of body weight per hour during sleep.
Therefore, someone who weighs 150 pounds will burn 63 calories per hour while sleeping and 441-504 calories during 7-8 hours of sleep.
In contrast, an average adult burns 100-150 calories per hour while awake and sedentary. This includes typical NEAT activities like standing and light household activity, but you can also engaging in physical activity or exercise to up the calorie burn.
So, talking about which one is better—calories burned during sleeping vs awake, it depends. If you want to burn extra calories, you can try staying up late purposely and engaging in some physical activity for faster results.
However, doing it for a prolonged period of time can lead to sleep deprivation and disease and disorders related to it like mental health issues, poor cardiovascular health, and eating disorders.
Therefore, while late-night activities can contribute to calorie expenditure, they should be a part of a holistic approach that prioritizes sufficient, quality sleep and promotes a well-rounded fitness regimen.
If you are concerned about weight loss and calories burned and are confused regarding whether being an all-nighter helps or you should sleep for 7-8 hours, make sure to count in all the underlying details we just discussed.
FAQs
Staying up late certainly impacts the calories burned by your body. However, the phenomenon of extended wakefulness may influence the way your body works. Therefore, it’s important to delve deeper to find out more about it.
#1. Do you burn more calories after an all-nighter?
No, actually, as per studies in research, in 24 hours when people sleep normally, they burn 96 more calories. So, it is better to have a sound sleep if you want to increase your calorie burn.
#2. What burns fat while you sleep?
The body keeps burning fat even when you are asleep. Nonetheless, you can accelerate the process by drinking chamomile tea, cinnamon tea, and soaked fenugreek as a part of your night-time diet. You can also try sleeping in a colder room as it will burn excess fat to keep the body warm.
#3. Is it good to go to bed hungry to lose weight?
Although going to bed hungry might help you lose weight by keeping the insulin low, skipping meals can also increase the chances of nighttime cravings and excessive calorie consumption. Therefore, choose to be satisfied rather than being hungry before going to bed in order to lose weight.
#4. How many calories do you burn sleeping for 12 hours?
A person weighing 68 kgs can burn around 46 calories per hour. Therefore, based on this information, he/she can burn around 552 calories by sleeping for 12 hours.
#5. Can I burn 1000 calories while sleeping?
As per Harvard Medical School, you can only burn a maximum of around 440 calories during the 8 hours of recommended sleep time. However, in order to burn 1000 calories while sleeping, you need to extend the sleeping hours which is not healthy at all.
#6. Why do you burn calories when you sleep?
The body needs to burn calories during sleep to perform basic functions like breathing, heart beating, and digestion. While you are sleeping, your organs are still functioning and this needs energy for which the body burns calories.
#7. Does sleeping burn fat?
Yes, sleeping burns fat, but the impact is much less and hence it cannot be considered as a fat loss method.
#8. How many calories do you burn awake?
You can burn around 100-150 calories per hour during waking hours. Indeed, you can increase it by indulging in physical activities and exercises.
From the above discussion, you must now have some idea about how sleeping late can affect your calorie burn process and fat loss. So, if you are staying up late purposely with the hope of losing weight, think wisely if it is actually going to make any difference.
Concluding Thoughts
Who doesn’t like sleeping for an extra hour or two, but when research says staying up late burns calories, would you dare to do it?
Well, genZ might have another reason to stay up late and they may use it as a lame excuse, being an all-nighter can actually cause more weight gain than weight loss.
Though it can increase the calorie-burning process initially, towards the end, the total calorie-burn percentage drops.
Adding to it, there is a long list of underlying health issues that come with starting up late for a longer period of time.
So, if you really want to accelerate your weight loss process but have no choice but to stay up late, make it more effective by working out and doing it for a shorter period.
This way you will reach the desired results before your body starts showing the symptoms of sleep deprivation.
Sleep can be an aid in your weight loss process if used in the right way. Neither oversleeping nor a lack of sleep is advisable.