Can Sleeping Cold Help You Lose Weight?

Like most people, you’ve probably tried every trick in the book to lose weight. But have you tried turning down the thermostat? Your body has both brown fat and white fat. White fat is the type that you’ve been working to get rid of. Brown fat burns calories to create heat and may actually help you lose weight. It turns out cold temperatures can increase your body’s brown fat. A study dropped the temperatures of sleeping participants to 66 degrees for 10 hours each night for a month. This led to an increase in brown fat, which may help burn more calories. That’s not all, researchers have found that brown fat may help reduce your odds for diabetes, by affecting your insulin, blood sugar, and metabolism. So add a walk to the thermostat into your evening routine and lose the giant comforter. You just may turn fat into a friend. For WebMD, I’m Dr. Michael Smith.