How you can lose more fat and keep more muscle at the same time

If you want to lose fat, there's a strategy you might not have on your radar yet - and it has nothing to do with extra training or a special diet.

Sleep is the underrated game changer.

Studies show that getting enough sleep helps you to lose fat in a targeted way and maintain more muscle mass at the same time. Sounds almost too simple, doesn't it? But science gives us good reasons to start right here.

What the research says
One study investigated how sleep affects fat loss. All participants followed a calorie-restricted diet - but there was one crucial difference:

- One group was only allowed to sleep 5.5 hours per night.

- The other group got 8.5 hours of sleep.

Both groups lost an average of around 3.2 kg in weight. However, the composition of the weight loss was dramatically different:

💤 The group with little sleep lost 80 % muscle mass and only 20 % fat.

💤 The well-rested group lost almost exclusively fat.

This means that if you don't get enough sleep, you not only lose fat - but above all valuable muscle mass.

And this is not the only study to show this effect. Another study found that just one week of poor sleep leads to the body storing more fat and building less muscle - even if you try to catch up on sleep at the weekend.

Improve sleep - optimize fat loss

Fortunately, there are simple strategies to improve your sleep (and therefore your fat burning):

✅ Get on a solid sleep schedule - Go to bed at the same time every day and get up at the same time, even on weekends.

☀️ Get daylight - Get natural light in your eyes in the morning to stabilize your internal clock.

☕ Reduce caffeine - Stop drinking caffeine 9-10 hours before going to bed.

📵 Avoid screens - Reduce cell phone, TV and laptop use at least one hour before bedtime.

🌙 Dim the lights - reduce blue light in the evening and create a relaxed atmosphere.

🥗 Avoid eating late - don't eat anything heavy 2 hours before going to sleep.

📝 Incorporate relaxation - read, write in a diary or have a conversation with a friend to clear your head.

Extra tip: If you're looking for a natural sleep aid, avoid daily melatonin. Instead, ingredients such as magnesium or L-theanine can help you relax.

As with any new habit, start small. Choose one or two items to incorporate into your daily routine - and once they have become routine, you can add more.

Sleep better = burn fat better. Try it out!

Sources:

- Nedeltcheva, A. V., Kilkus, J. M., Imperial, J., Schoeller, D. A., & Penev, P. D. (2010). Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Annals of Internal Medicine, 153(7), 435-441. DOI:10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00006

- Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2004). Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine, 141(11), 846-850. DOI:10.7326/0003-4819-141-11-200412070-00008

- Wang, X., Sparks, J. R., Bowdring, M. A., Youngstedt, S. D., & O'Connor, P. J. (2021). Poor sleep increases risk of weight gain and obesity. Obesity Reviews, 22(4), e13153. DOI:10.1111/obr.13153