Key to losing weight lies in a good night’s sleep says new study

Three-quarters of dieters with regular sleep patterns found it easier to shed fatty pounds in a study of 1,000 people.

The most effective results came with eight hours sleep – and the best time for bed was 10.10pm.

About four out of five good sleepers were also likely to follow regular eating routines, which assists weight loss.

Poor sleepers, achieving fewer than seven hours a night, had the most chaotic eating patterns and were more prone to diet lapses.

Two-thirds of this group also admitted snacking between meals.

In contrast, only 17 per cent of good sleepers were snackers and 72 per cent stuck to their diet, found the study for Forza Supplements.

Our sleep patterns have changed radically over the past 100 years.

Before the First World War, the average Briton slept for more than nine hours, with fewer night-time bars and roads darker with less lighting.

We now sleep for an average seven hours 30 minutes, with women sleeping an average of 20 minutes longer than men.

A Forza Supplements spokesman said: “They call it beauty sleep for a very good reason. Eight hours a night really does help us to lose weight and live more healthily.

“This new research shows that the key to successful dieting is discipline and routine. You need to adopt good habits and stick with them.

“If you are sleeping erratically and getting up in the night, chances are you are a boozer who is also visiting the fridge while successful dieters are upstairs in bed fast asleep.”

Earlier this year a sleep study by the University of Leeds also found lots of sleep helped shift the pounds – and links between poor sleep and higher Body Mass Index.

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep expert, said: “Not getting enough sleep forces our body into crisis or survival mode.

“We start to run on adrenaline which makes us conserve energy and store fat particularly around the middle.

“Being tired also makes us more reliant on caffeine and refined sugars during the day and these are all substances that will make us put on weight.”