The human body is constantly burning calories to perform vital functions. These processes are known as basal metabolism, and they account for the majority of the body's energy requirements.

Even though sleep is thought to be a time when the body is inactive, the body is constantly burning calories.

How many calories are burned during sleep?

An average person burns approximately 50 calories per hour while sleeping. However, the number of calories burned during sleep varies depending on the individual's basal metabolic rate. Basal metabolism refers to how much energy the body needs to perform basic functions like breathing, circulation, body temperature regulation, and cell growth and repair.

Numerous factors influence basal metabolic rate, including height, weight, gender, age, diet, sleep quality, race, genetics, hormones, health conditions, and exercise.

The phases of sleep can also affect the number of calories burned. Not all stages of sleep have the same energy expenditure; the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep is usually the most energy-intensive stage of sleep due to an increase in heart rate and the brain exhibiting activity patterns similar to when it is awake. The increased brain activity requires more glucose,, which results in increased metabolism.

In contrast, the deeper sleep stage, also known as slow wave sleep (SWS), reduces heart rate, breathing, core body temperature, and brain activity to a minimum. Growth hormones are released during this stage of sleep, which is thought to play an important role in the immune system. However, the brain requires less glucose, so metabolism is typically at its lowest.

How to increase calories burned during sleep

Increasing your basal metabolic rate allows you to burn more calories while sleeping. The best way is to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get enough restful sleep.

Persistent sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk of obesity over time.This is because sleep deprivation can disrupt hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism, such as ghrelin, which increases appetite, and leptin, which regulates satiety.

Furthermore, sleep deprivation can raise levels of stress hormones like cortisol,, which impair the body's ability to regulate glucose and contribute to weight gain and other health issues.

While skipping a night of sleep can increase the number of calories burned in a short period of time, sleep deprivation is not a long-term strategy for increasing basal metabolism. Sleep deprivation can cause the body to burn lean muscle mass rather than fat, which is counterproductive in weight loss efforts.

Want to find out more about how to burn calories more effectively every day? You can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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