Does sleeping burn calories?

Yes, sleeping does burn calories. It’s a common misconception that while sleeping, our body just lies still and does nothing. The truth is, it works hard all night. Some studies show that when we are sleeping like knocked-out horses, our body burns around 400-500 calories in an 8-hour cycle. This is as good as walking approximately an hour. 

Plus, if you take some sleep CBD gummies before bed, the burn rate may get even more efficient as cannabinoids calm your whole body, allowing the natural recovery process to work efficiently. 

Calories are simple energy units that fuel all our activities. We burn them all the time, during an exhausting workout, eating, or even just simply existing. So yes, sleeping does burn calories. Let’s learn a bit more about how this whole thing works and how it may even help you in your weight loss journey.

Why does our body burn calories during sleep?

Our bodies have a BMR (basal metabolic rate). It’s the minimum number of calories the body needs to stay alive. Even if you just lie down in bed doing nothing all day, not even walking a few steps, your body will still burn calories to sustain basic functions. This includes breathing, blood circulation, cell production, processing of nutrients, and more. 

The BMR is different for everyone and depends mainly on the height and weight of an individual. You’ll find plenty of free BMR calculators on the web; do check them out for fun. 

So when we are sleeping, our body may look still, but it’s far from inactive. The brain gets busy processing memories, clearing our waste. The heart keeps pumping blood to all the organs. Lungs are busy supporting respiratory function. Cells work to repair the damage and grow new tissues. 

Also, the body makes many hormones like melatonin (to regulate the sleep-wake cycle), growth hormones (for cell repair and growth), cortisol (to manage stress), and more. 

Millions of functions happen in your body while you are sleeping. To support this complex mechanism, calories are burned. There’s no doubt that calories burned during sleep are less than when you are active throughout the day, but it’s still a significant number. 

In fact, the sleeping metabolic burn rate is only 15% less than when you are awake and doing nothing. So yeah, that’s why sleeping burns calories.

How many calories do I burn while sleeping? 

The general estimate is that most people burn somewhere between 50 and 80 calories every hour while sleeping. On average, a common healthy Joe burns 0.42 calories per pound of body weight every hour while sleeping. 

There’s a simple formula you can use to get your specific number. Weight (in pounds) x 0.42 x hours of sleep. So if your weight is 150 pounds and you sleep for 8 hours, you’ll burn about 150 x 0.42 x 8 = 504 calories. 

But take this number as a rough estimate only, as the exact amount will vary depending on various factors. Factors like gender, weight, muscle mass, age, metabolism speed, activity before bedtime, diet, genetics, quality of sleep (time spent in each sleep cycle), and underlying health conditions play a major role in the total number of calories burned while sleeping.

Let’s say you pulled an all-nighter and slept after one full day of no sleep; you’ll burn more calories. But that does not mean you should increase the hours of sleep in the general healthy routine. Sleeping too much can have a counter-effect and lead to obesity, laziness, fatigue, high stress, and slow metabolism. 

How does sleep affect our weight? 

Sleep can have both a negative and a positive impact on overall calories burned and weight. Poor sleep messes up specific hormones in the body that control our hunger and appetite. Inadequacy leads to lower leptin production, a hormone that gives us a feeling of fullness or satiety. 

Plus, ghrelin, the hormone that makes us hungry, shoots up. So you may end up indulging in overeating if your sleep schedule is bad. This can make you gain weight at a very fast rate. 

Lack of sleep also results in higher cortisol levels. A hormone that is responsible for managing stress and guiding the body about fat storage. Tiredness caused by a lack of sleep naturally pushes you towards high-calorie comfort food, and you are also likely to skip your workout. 

On the other hand, getting enough sleep can have a positive effect on your weight. Getting enough sleep supports your weight management by properly regulating the hormones and managing good energy levels. It also pushes you to opt for healthy activities and food during the day. 

How to Increase Calories Burned During Sleep? 

There are many things that you can do; for example, try to maintain an optimal temperature while sleeping. If the room is cool and comfy, your body will try to regulate internal temperature and may burn some extra calories in the process. 

Try to do some strength training and increase your muscle mass. Muscles need more calories than fat, so a fit person with balanced muscle mass will burn more calories. Next, focus on sleep hygiene, develop a consistent routine, and aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. 

Poor sleep can slow down your metabolism and decrease your burn rate. Lastly, try to manage stress, do meditation, avoid heavy workouts just a few hours before bed, and watch your caffeine intake. 

The End Note

In a nutshell, sleeping does burn calories. The human body burns around 400-500 calories in 8-hour sleep cycles, but the exact number will vary from individual to individual. 

Some may burn more, some may burn less, but everyone burns, that’s for sure. Sleep can’t replace a proper workout and diet, though; you can’t speedrun your weight loss journey just by sleeping more. Poor sleep or too much sleep can hinder your weight loss goals by disrupting your metabolism. 

So focus on a healthy routine, and add some high-quality sleep gummies, like the ones sold by Colorado Botanicals, if you feel anxious at bedtime.