Getting a better sleep can help you lose weight!

Sleep experts believe the average person needs 7-8 hours sleep a night to feel well-rested and capable of handling daily stress comfortably. What’s more, getting enough slumber, helps your body reset, sidestepping serious illness and careless accidents you wouldn’t make if you were wide awake.

But there’s more!

Just by tucking in a little earlier tonight, that extra ten pounds you’ve been struggling to lose may simply fall off. You might think we’re dreaming but the correlation between sleep and weight is well documented. Try these tips for a week and watch the inches fall away!

• Go to bed earlier – Count back from the time you wake up and calculate your bedtime from there. Can’t get to sleep early? Schedule a nap mid-day to ensure you’re getting a minimum of 7 hours within a 24-hour period.

• Get your body ready for bed earlier – If you’re used to staying up later, start a pre-sleep ritual to signal to your body when it’s time to start winding down. Turn off the TV, your iPhone, your computer and pick up a book instead. Away from the bright lights of your computer, your body releases a hormone that makes you feel drowsy.

• Cut out the caffeine – Sip your coffee, soda and tea before 3 pm so your body has a chance to get rid of the caffeine before bedtime. Alcohol may be a depressant, but it also prevents your body from falling into a deep, rejuvenating sleep.

• Tweak the program – Women require more sleep than men (especially at certain times of the month) so it make take a while for you to find the number that works for you. If you rely on an alarm to wake up, try backing up your bedtime by 15 minutes until you wake up on your own.

Have you tried losing weight just by getting a better night’s sleep? Let us know how it works for you!