Is getting dressed in the dark making you gain weight?

pulse

March 3, 2017 5:16 PM

It turns out that getting ready in the dark might be the reason you’re having a hard time losing weight.

Dress in dark

Opening the curtains could help lower your BMI

The next time you’re running around in the morning getting ready for work, it might be worth it to throw open the curtains and let in some natural light. Why?

Because it turns out that getting ready in the dark might be the reason you’re having a hard time losing weight.

In a study published in PLOS One, researchers from Northwestern University had 54 adults from the Chicago area wear trackers on their wrist that recorded their exposure to light and their sleep habits for a week.

The participants also kept a daily food diary so that the researchers could monitor their calorie intake.

After accounting for activity level, age, caloric intake, season, and sleep habits, the researchers found that the earlier in the day the participants were exposed to light, the lower their body mass index (BMI) was.

They also found that for every hour exposure to light was delayed, BMI rose by 1.28 points.

What does that actually mean for you in practical terms? The researchers recommended getting “500 lux” of light (about the equivalent of your office’s bright indoor lighting) as early as possible when you wake up each morning.

An easy way to get 1,000 lux of light is to simply take your morning workout outside but even opening the curtains will help.

The study didn’t prove cause and effect, but previous studies have shown that exposure to light can affect your circadian rhythms, which in turn can affect everything from your sleep habits to your hunger levels, so it stands to reason that it could impact your weight too.

Ultimately, you might not drop 10 pounds immediately, but it can’t hurt to start your morning off on a sunny note.

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