Sleep Health, Sleep Tips August 23, 2024, Updated on January 6, 2025

Does Sleep Burn Calories?

Written by Leandra Beabout Reviewed by Risa Kerslake, RN, BSN

During sleep, the body continues to burn calories to maintain vital functions like heart rate, breathing, and metabolism. The number of calories burned varies based on basal metabolic rate (BMR), influenced by age, genetics, weight, body composition, gender, and medical conditions. Factors like exercise, muscle mass, sleep quality, and room temperature can impact nighttime calorie burning.

We often think of sleeping as “shutting off” our brains and bodies, but the truth is that a lot happens during sleep. Sleep is when you dream, of course, but it’s also when your body releases hormones and repairs cells. [1, 2] All that internal activity takes energy, which burns calories.

In this article, we’ll explore more about how the body burns calories during sleep, plus how you can calculate the average number of calories burned each night.

Does sleeping burn calories?

Fun fact: Your body never stops burning calories. Even while sleeping, you burn calories to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, and metabolism humming along, says nutritionist Vicki Shanta Retelny, RDN.

Bottom line: Though snoozing doesn’t take a lot of energy, your body still burns calories while sleeping. [3]

Fun fact: Your body never stops burning calories. Even while sleeping, you burn calories to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, and metabolism humming along, says nutritionist Vicki Shanta Retelny, RDN.

What factors influence calories burned during sleep?

“There are many factors that affect how many calories you burn during sleep,” says Retelny. Ultimately, it comes down to your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and how many hours you spend at rest. [3]

Your BMR refers to the number of calories your body burns while at rest—or asleep! Essentially, your BMR is how many calories you would burn in a day if all your body had to do was stay alive and warm. [3]

Retelny says several factors can impact your personal BMR, including [4, 5]:

  • Age. “Your basal metabolic rate slowed down with age,” she explains.
  • Genetics. Research suggests genetics may influence your metabolism. [6]
  • Body weight. The larger your body is, the more calories it likely requires to function.
  • Body composition. Muscles burn more calories than fat, says Retelny, so people with more muscle mass burn more calories even when sleeping.
  • Gender. Research shows boys have higher BMRs than girls, but the difference is much less in adults than in children. [7]
  • Medical conditions. Many medical conditions affect the hormones that control appetite and metabolism. (If you think an underlying condition is affecting your metabolism, talk to a doctor.)

does sleep burn calories infographic

How many calories does sleeping burn?

The number of calories burned during sleep varies from person to person. To keep it simple, some medical professionals assume an average of 50 calories per hour, says Patrick Nuzzo, doctor of naprapathy (a holistic specialty that focuses on treating chronic pain) and founder of Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine. “The range is actually between 40 and 80 calories an hour,” he adds.

To estimate how many calories you burn while sleeping, use a calorie-burning calculator or calculate your BMR using these equations from Retelny: [8]

  • For men: 66 + (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.76 x age)
  • For women: 655.1+ (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age)

As an example, consider a 35-year-old woman who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds:

  • 655.1 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 66) – (4.7 x 35) = 1409.8 calories in 24 hours

To determine this woman’s hourly BMR, divide her overall BMR by 24:

  • 1409.8 ÷ 24 = 58.74 calories per hour

If she gets the recommended seven hours of sleep per night, we can assume she burns approximately 470 calories in bed.

Can you increase the number of calories you burn during sleep?

If your goal is to boost the number of calories you burn at night, follow this advice from the experts:

  • Exercise in the evening. Movement before bedtime puts your body into “metabolic burn mode,” according to Nuzzo. [9] “It doesn’t have to be strenuous. You can simply take a walk,” he says. “… Activities get the body into a state where it’s working optimally and efficiently.”
  • Build muscle mass. Bodies with more muscle mass have higher basal metabolic rates than bodies with higher body fat composition, says Retelny. [10] That means building and maintaining muscle can help you burn more calories during the day and night.
  • Prioritize good quality sleep. The better you sleep at night, the better your appetite control is during the day. [11] Experts say getting good quality sleep is highly effective at keeping your appetite hormones—the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and the fullness hormone, leptin—in good working order during the day. [12] That goes a long way in controlling the number of calories you consume during waking hours, which can affect calorie burning overnight.
  • Avoid eating before bed. Eating heavy foods before bed makes it harder to fall asleep—and poor sleep can eventually lower your metabolism. [13, 14] Nuzzo says eating before bed also forces your body to use calories for digestion instead of optimizing your nighttime calorie burning.
  • Keep the bedroom cool. “The cooler the room, the faster you fall asleep,” says Retelny. “This can help with burning calories more efficiently.” Sleep experts recommend a bedroom temperature below 67 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal sleep.

FAQs

How many calories do you burn sleeping for eight hours?

The number of calories burned while sleeping varies from person to person. You can estimate the number of calories you burn during eight hours of sleep by calculating your BMR and dividing it by 3 (because eight hours is one-third of 24 hours).

Does sleeping burn fat?

Fat cells are like storage tanks of spare energy, and it’s unlikely that a body would need to tap into reserve sources to sustain life while inactive.[15] “When you sleep, you burn calories, not necessarily fat,” confirms Retelny.

Do you burn more calories while sleeping or awake?

The more you move, the more calories you burn. That means you’re probably burning many more calories while awake than asleep.

How many calories do I burn lying in bed all day?

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest. By calculating your daily BMR, you can estimate how many calories you burn lying in bed all day.

Can sleeping make you grow taller? Learn all about the connection between sleep and height.

References

  1. Martínez-Albert, E., Lutz, N. D., Hübener, R., Dimitrov, S., Lange, T., Born, J., & Besedovsky, L. (2024). Sleep promotes T-cell migration towards CCL19 via growth hormone and prolactin signaling in humans. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 118, 69-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2024.02.021
  2. Zaffanello, M., Pietrobelli, A., Cavarzere, P., Guzzo, A., & Antoniazzi, F. (2024). Complex relationship between growth hormone and sleep in children: Insights, discrepancies, and implications. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1332114. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1332114
  3. Harvard Health. Burning calories without exercise. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/burning-calories-without-exercise
  4. Johnstone, A. M., Murison, S. D., Duncan, J. S., Rance, K. A., & Speakman, J. R. (2005). Factors influencing variation in basal metabolic rate include fat-free mass, fat mass, age, and circulating thyroxine but not sex, circulating leptin, or triiodothyronine. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82(5), 941–948. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/82.5.941
  5. Cleveland Clinic. BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/basal-metabolic-rate-bmr
  6. Konarzewski, M., & Książek, A. (2012). Determinants of intra-specific variation in basal metabolic rate. Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, 183(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-012-0698-z
  7. Lazzer, S., Bedogni, G., Lafortuna, C. L., Marazzi, N., Busti, C., Galli, R., Agosti, F., & Sartorio, A. (2010). Relationship Between Basal Metabolic Rate, Gender, Age, and Body Composition in 8,780 White Obese Subjects. Obesity, 18(1), 71-78. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2009.162
  8. Luy, S. C., & Dampil, O. A. (2018). Comparison of the Harris-Benedict Equation, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and Indirect Calorimetry for Measurement of Basal Metabolic Rate among Adult Obese Filipino Patients with Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies, 33(2), 152. https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.033.02.07
  9. Moholdt, T., Parr, E. B., Devlin, B. L., Debik, J., Giskeødegård, G., & Hawley, J. A. (2021). The effect of morning vs evening exercise training on glycaemic control and serum metabolites in overweight/obese men: A randomised trial. Diabetologia, 64(9), 2061. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-021-05477-5
  10. Mayo Clinic. Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508
  11. Tasali E, Wroblewski K, Kahn E, Kilkus J, Schoeller DA. Effect of Sleep Extension on Objectively Assessed Energy Intake Among Adults With Overweight in Real-life Settings: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(4):365–374. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098
  12. Cleveland Clinic. Ghrelin. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22804-ghrelin
  13. Mayo Clinic. Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379
  14. Sharma, S., & Kavuru, M. (2010). Sleep and metabolism: an overview. International journal of endocrinology, 2010, 270832. https://doi.org/10.1155/2010/270832
  15. Refat, S., Sibaii, H., & A., K. (2019). Physiological process of fat loss. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 43(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42269-019-0238-z

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