Looking to lose some weight? Then stay in bed a bit longer. A new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that rest-deprived individuals produced higher levels of ghrelin – a hormone that drives appetite.
The study found that the two groups control groups (one with 5.5 hours of rest, the other with 8.5 hours) each lost about 6.5 lbs., but the well-rested group lost more of the weight from fat, not muscle.
The study notes that the time assigned to the individuals was not necessarily sleep – but simply hours in bed – meaning resting worked just as well as sleep.