Reducing Stress Helps You Lose Weight

According to the site medisur.sld.cu, people trying to lose weight in a week are more likely to achieve their goal if they have less stress levels and sleep between six and eight hours each night, says a study.

The research involved nearly 500 people in Oregon and Washington and the authors measured levels of sleep, stress, depression, time spent watching television and facing the computer screen and how these variables correlate with weight loss.

Explains Charles Elder, director of work, this study suggests that when people are trying to lose weight should try to get enough sleep and reduce stress. For other exercise can reduce stress and help you sleep better. Mind-body techniques such as meditation may also be useful for certain people.

The study was divided into two parts, the first participants had to lose 4.5 kg in 6 months. If they succeeded in the second phase followed in which an acupressure technique tested against more traditional methods of weight maintenance. The results of the second phase are not yet available.

Participants also reported on their levels of insomnia, stress and depression, and measured the time spent watching sleeping and watching TV or using the computer. The researchers found that sleep and stress levels were good predictors of weight loss but it was not so in the case of depression and time spent in front of an audiovisual display.

People with lower levels of stress who slept more than 6 hours but not more than 8 were more likely to lose 4.5 kilograms. In fact, nearly three quarters of this group continued the study in its second phase and were twice as likely to succeed than those with higher levels of stress and less than 6 hours of sleep a night.

The researchers caution that their findings may not apply to all groups trying to lose weight, indicating that participants were highly motivated and 90 percent had university education.