Abdominal fat, or visceral fat, is located near the internal organs within the abdominal cavity, which increases the possibility of serious complications.
Research indicates that a simple sleep adjustment can help reduce those harmful fats that surround vital organs in the body, such as the liver and intestines, according to the British “Express” website.
Those fats are part of metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Studies have looked at some new solutions to reduce belly fat, including changing your sleeping style.
A study published in Obesity (International Journal of Obesity) investigated the relationship between changes in sleep duration and long-term changes in visceral fat in adults.
The study was conducted on 293 participants aged 18-65 years over a period of six years.
In the last year, sleep duration and assessment of visceral fat using computerized tomography (CT), which uses X-rays to take detailed pictures of the inside of the body, have been reported.
Researchers found that increasing sleep from six hours or less to 7-8 hours reduced visceral fat gain by approximately 26%
In other words, getting less than six hours of sleep and logging more than eight hours were associated with increased visceral fat.
This trend was observed only in participants younger than 40 years.
General tips for reducing visceral fat
There is no one way to deliver a critical blow to visceral fat. Instead, it is your overall commitment to a healthy lifestyle that is important, including through improving your diet.
And if you want to reduce your belly fat, you need to burn more calories (energy) than you consume, and eat the right types of food.