How to lose weight in your sleep

Spanish scientists have discovered that the hormone known as melatonin helps control weight gain.

What is melatonin and what does it do?

Melatonin is a natural hormone and levels are generally increased in the dark at night.

In the recent study, coordinated by University of Granada lecturer Ahmad Agi, researchers found that melatonin stimulates the appearance of 'beige fat’, a type of fat cell that burns calories in vivo instead of storing them.

So why should you sleep in the dark?

Sleeping in as dark a room as possible helps boost melatonin levels and encourages the body to burn calories rather than store them!

Foods that contain melatonin

In addition to sleeping in a dark room, you can also boost your levels of melatonin by snacking on certain foods.

Small quantities of melatonin are found in fruit and vegetables like mustard, Goji berries, almonds, sunflower seeds, cardamom, fennel, coriander and cherries.

The research, published in the Journal of Pineal Research, is reason enough to stock up on these healthy snacks and install blackout curtains in the bedroom!

Recommended reading: Could this be the ideal skinny snack?

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