Sleep can help you lose weight, although scientists are not sure exactly how more sleep resets your hunger thermostat or changes your metabolism. A recent study compared weight loss between a group that followed a low calorie diet and had only an average of 5.5 hours of sleep per night versus a group that followed the same diet and averaged 8.5 hours of nightly sleep. It may surprise you that not only did the people with more sleep have more weight loss, but they also had greater reduction in body fat and in hunger.
Make sure you are getting at least eight hours of sleep to maximize your success with losing extra pounds.