Want to shed the kilos? Get a good night's sleep

Struggling to shed those extra kilos? If yes, try to have a good night's sleep besides sticking to your diet and daily exercise, scientists suggest. Researchers have found that those who get between six and eight hours of sleep a night are twice as likely to reduce their desired weight when put on a diet for six months. The study has also found that people trying to lose at least 4.5kg were more likely to reach their goal if they had lower stress levels and slept moderately.

For the study, around 500 obese adults were recruited with an average age of 55 years. The participants were asked to attend 22 counselling sessions, reduce the diet by 500 calories day and increase the amount of exercise they took to at least three hours a week. They also had to keep a diary of their habits, including their sleep patterns and stress levels. After six months, 60% of the participants had ,lost at least 4.5kg. Researches found that the successful dieters were more likely yo report that they had slept between six and eight hours each nigh.

Almost three quarters of dieters who had both low stress levels and six ti eight hours sleep a night were likely ti achieve the 10 pounds weight loss target. They were also twice as likely to be successful as participants who reported the highest stress levels and got six or less hours sleep a night.