Get More Sleep, Lose More Weight

If you dream (literally!) of losing a few extra pounds, you may actually have the right strategy for losing weight.

According to a study published in the journal Sleep, keeping your head on the pillow for at least seven hours a night is key to keeping your weight down.

Researchers looked at more than 1,000 pairs of maternal and fraternal twins in the U.S., paying close attention to weight, height and sleep patterns. They found that getting less than seven hours of sleep per night was linked to greater body mass index, a measurement of weight relative to height, and to greater genetic influences on BMI.

“The longer you sleep, the less important genetics become in determining what you weigh,” explained Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the University of Washington Sleep Disorders Center. “Does this mean you can sleep yourself thin?” Watson asked. “Probably not. But you can sleep yourself to a point where environmental factors, like diet and activity, are more important in determining your body weight than genetics.”