Napping- Does it slow your metabolism?

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  • RuthieCass
    RuthieCass Posts: 247 Member
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    It will probably reduce your caloric burn by a small amount, but not nearly as much as the number of carbohydrate calories you're going to need to feel more energetic for any length of time.

    Personally, when I'm tired, I get up and go for a good energetic walk. That helps re-energize me and makes me feel better. And when I need a snack, I try to avoid just pure sugars and carbohydrates for the quick pick-up, but instead have a balanced snack that's got some proteins and complex carbs going on so it keeps me satisfied longer.

    Feeding fatigue is generally going to be bad practice since you're not as likely to make good food choices. Focus on getting your daily fats and proteins up to the levels they should be, if they aren't already. Those are the sustaining fuel.

    If you're eating plenty of fats and proteins and still finding that you have peaks and valleys of fatigue, it may not be a terrible idea to set up a physical with your doctor and mention blood sugar testing.

    I agree with this. I don't think eating carbs/fats to wake up is a good idea. I've tried the quick, brisk walk and it does the trick. I would suggest trying trying that first. But if you really feel that you must do one or the other, napping is probably better, *as long as it doesn't interfere with your nightly sleep.* Personally, I'd push through the mid-day sleepiness and go to bed a bit earlier if I had this issue.

    Something more important to pay attention to is your nightly sleep quality and not the dilemma between snacking vs. napping. If you are really tired that you feel you need to do one or the other, then you are likely not getting enough/ getting poor quality sleep. It's more important to get a good night's rest-- helps with hormone regulation, muscle repair, etc. Napping does not really make up for that.
  • owl92
    owl92 Posts: 74
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    there's lot of mixed views on this one so i can see why your confused. i believe personally that it does not slow your metabolism down by napping during the day because sitting on ur bum with no energy burns the equal amount of calories science has shown and the body builders believe this one so i remembered it.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,783 Member
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    Seriously sleep is one of the best things you can do while dieting. Not only a good nights sleep but naps also.
  • ChrisGoldn
    ChrisGoldn Posts: 473 Member
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    Yes, and you must eat within 263 secs of waking from your nap to jumpstart your metabolism or you risk going into starvation mode

    Damn it!!! i thought it was 264 secs .... ugh~ >.>
  • TXGirl821
    TXGirl821 Posts: 115
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    If it does, this explains my boyfriend's huge weight gain over the past few years. LOL Man, does he love to nap whenever he can. We thought it was because of his sleep apnea, which as we all know can contribute to needing naps and gaining weight, but he has his breathing machine now and he's still napping because he's lazy, which then means he's putting on weight.

    If there WAS a study done showing that napping would contribute to weight gain, I would LOVE to see it! But since I don't think there is one, I would say you're probably safe unless you're napping a whole lot.

    All other things being equal, napping as a replacement for exercise and activity is horrible for fitness and weight loss.

    OP's question involved napping as a replacement to eating quick carbs to boost energy. And while a balanced diet and more activity is a better way to stave off energy drops, napping is more effective at weight loss than eating.

    It is also possible that the machine is giving him better air but has not really improved the quality of his sleep. Has he had a sleep study done with the machine?

    Ah, I totally misread the original question! Sorry! I just got back from the gym so I'm skimming things. :)

    But yes, he has had several sleep studies done, both with and without the machine. He is, unfortunately, just super lazy. I'm trying my hardest to get him out to the gym with me but it's not what he wants. So...I just let him nap and eat. Ever since I started working out, I find that I CAN'T sleep, so we've got opposite problems going on!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    So I'm confused on this....I have read in a diet book and have noticed that if I am tired, I crave carbs and sugars. The carbs and sugars give us the "sugar high" or burst of energy our body needs, then when that crashes, we're tired again. So the advice of this book was that if we are tired, and have the time, take a little nap instead of giving in to those cravings. But I've also heard that napping can slow your metabolism. If's the middle of the day, when you're heart rate and metabolism are working for you, but then if you nap, you essentially shut all that down for a bit, then your body has to "re-start" when you wake up. Any thoughts on this??

    That "sugar high" is due to spikes, when they crash you are worse off than when you started.

    That book advising people to take a nap instead is unrealistic, what about those that are at work, I am sure bosses would appreciate a workforce full of napping employees LOL
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,713 Member
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    Yes, and you must eat within 263 secs of waking from your nap to jumpstart your metabolism or you risk going into starvation mode
    the nasty, sarcastic bugger made me laugh^^
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
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    Metabolism doesn't change from sleeping. Metabolism doesn't change much at all really. Maybe a few percentages over decades.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    If you are tired all the time, you aren't getting enough sleep. It takes about 2 months of regular exercise to start increasing your metabolism to where your body doesn't think it's just a temporary condition.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    Of course it does - no doubt.
    And lack of proper rest is detrimental to health, so take your afternoon nap as I do most days.
    Life is to be lived :drinker:
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I always lose more weight when I take naps. Getting enough sleep helps you lose more weight, staying awake too much causes you to eat more to keep awake and be active.
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
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    If I am truly tired I can take a cat nap 30ish minutes and then have a productive rest of the day. If I just fight it I tend to slug through and don't get a great burn for the whole day. ( I use a body mediafit)

    If I can't squeeze a nap in I do some exercise like walking to get my blood flowing and that helps too.
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
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    If you are tired all the time, you aren't getting enough sleep. It takes about 2 months of regular exercise to start increasing your metabolism to where your body doesn't think it's just a temporary condition.

    That's interesting, I had not heard that before.
  • elizabethymartin
    elizabethymartin Posts: 198 Member
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    Bobby_Clerici wrote: »
    Of course it does - no doubt.
    And lack of proper rest is detrimental to health, so take your afternoon nap as I do most days.
    Life is to be lived :drinker:

    That is a beer chugging emoji. Awe. Some.
  • bendyourkneekatie
    bendyourkneekatie Posts: 696 Member
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    If one can nap, nap!

    When my 2 year old was a baby, getting a nap in was what kept me from eating my tiredness, and I lost the baby weight no problem. When I had my second child, my first was 17 months and still napping, but their naps never aligned, so I ate my tiredness and it took so much more conscious effort (read mfp) to lose the baby weight.

    Naps are magic. *sigh*
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,604 Member
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    Naps don't cause weight gain. Over consumption does. I've napped every day since my DD was born. Not long, maybe 30 minutes or so. Rest is good for the body.
    As for metabolic slow down, one burns less calories at rest than if physically active. But the percentage of body fat burned per calorie is higher at rest than if one was physically exercising. Don't use that as an excuse to do no physical exercise. Exercising burns calories and helps with calorie deficit which is needed for weight/fat loss.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    You're making this way too complicated. Eat whatever you want in your calorie deficit. You'll lose weight.

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