We’ve always been told that getting a good night’s sleep helps you lose weight – but those early morning wake ups all mums know too well could actually help
New research has found that it’s not just how many hours of sleep you get each night that helps you slim down, but when you get up, too.
The discovery, including in a paper in the Public Library of Science’s peer-reviewed recourse PLOS One found that people who are exposed to bright light in the morning had lower body mass indexes than those exposed to light later in the day.
Just 20 to 30 minutes of outdoor light before midday could affect your BMI
The study polled 54 volunteers around the age of 30, who kept note of what they ate and wore wrist monitors to keep track of their exposure to light and sleep patterns.
The results found that even just 20 to 30 minutes of outdoor light before midday could affect BMI, says Dr Phyllis C Zeem a senior author of the paper.
So, all of those early morning starts with your tot could be helping you stay healthy after all.
How do you make the most of early mornings? Let us know in the comments box below.