Lying in bed may seem like the epitome of inactivity, but even when you’re at rest, your body is still burning calories to keep you alive. While it’s not nearly as effective for burning calories as more active pursuits like working out, there are still small ways you can boost your passive calorie burn while lounging in bed.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the minimum number of calories your body needs to perform essential, life-sustaining functions like breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells. It makes up the majority of the calories you burn daily.
Your BMR is determined by your:
- Age
- Sex
- Height
- Weight
- Muscle mass
- Genetics
While lying completely still in bed, you’re burning calories at your BMR. So even if you’re not moving a muscle, you’re still passively burning 50-80% of the calories you’d burn in a day.
Move Around in Bed
Shifting positions, stretching, and fidgeting all burn extra calories in bed beyond your BMR. While these small movements don’t burn nearly as many calories as a hardcore workout, they can give your passive calorie burn a slight boost.
Here are some easy ways to move more in bed without getting up:
- Stretch your arms overhead and point your toes.
- Roll over from side to side.
- Curl and extend your legs.
- Lift your legs for “bicycle” motions.
- Clench and release your glutes.
- Draw the alphabet with your toes.
Fidgeting apps and devices provide vibration cues to remind you to move more throughout the day. Using one while you lounge in bed can increase your passive calorie burn.
Clench Your Muscles
Muscle contractions burn calories. When lounging in bed, you can burn extra calories by flexing and squeezing your muscles.
Some easy exercises to do while lying down include:
- Clenching your butt
- Tightening your abs
- Contracting your quads
- Flexing your calves
- Curling your biceps
Aim to fully contract each muscle group for 5-10 seconds before releasing. Repeat for multiple sets.
After-Meal NEAT Spikes
NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. It refers to the calories you burn from daily movement and activities besides focused exercise.
NEAT spikes naturally for 1-2 hours after eating a meal. Your body burns extra calories through unconscious fidgeting, pacing, and shifting positions.
To take advantage of these post-meal NEAT spikes while in bed, try to:
- Get out of bed and walk around for 5-10 minutes after eating.
- Fidget, stretch, and change positions frequently.
- Avoid lying completely still during peak NEAT periods.
Sleep in Cooler Temperatures
Your body has to work harder to regulate its temperature when you’re in a cooler environment. This results in a small boost in calorie burn as you sleep.
Ways to sleep cooler include:
- Setting your thermostat a few degrees lower
- Turning off space heaters
- Opening a window
- Using fewer blankets
- Wearing breathable pajamas
Avoid temperatures below 65°F, which can disrupt sleep quality.
Supplements
Certain supplements may provide a slight boost to the number of calories burned at rest and while sleeping. Some options include:
- Green tea extract: Contains caffeine and EGCG, both linked to faster metabolism.
- Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): A type of fat that may increase calorie burning.
- Protein powder: Requires extra calories to digest and metabolize.
However, the calorie burn from these is likely only around 50 extra calories per day. Results also vary between individuals.
Getting More Sleep
Getting adequate, good quality sleep leads to more calories burned while at rest. That’s because:
- Poor sleep increases the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases the fullness hormone leptin, so you eat more the following day.
- Lack of sleep raises cortisol, which promotes fat storage.
- Sleep deprivation reduces insulin sensitivity, increasing risk for obesity.
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night minimum to support healthy calorie burning.
Weight Training
Resistance training is one of the best ways to boost your resting metabolic rate (RMR) for hours after a workout. RMR is the number of calories burned when sitting or lying quietly awake.
When you lift weights:
- Muscle protein synthesis increases to repair and grow muscle tissue.
- Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) results in more calories burned after your workout.
2-3 weight training sessions per week can significantly increase the calories you burn while in bed recovering.
Interval Training
High intensity interval training (HIIT) involves short, intense bursts of exercise alternated with recovery periods. This form of training boosts EPOC more than steady-state cardio.
Doing just 20-30 minutes of intervals 2-3 times per week will increase your resting calorie burn for up to 48 hours post-workout.
Eat More Protein
Protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs or fat. Your body uses more calories to digest, absorb, and metabolize protein foods.
Eating 0.5-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily can slightly boost the calories you burn at rest.
High protein food sources include:
- Meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Seeds
Increase NEAT
Outside the bed, aim to increase your NEAT calories from daily activity as much as possible. This will result in greater calorie burning even while at rest.
Ways to bump up NEAT include:
- Using a standing desk
- Pacing during phone calls
- Taking walking breaks
- Parking farther away
- Taking the stairs
- Fidgeting
The more active you are overall, the more calories you’ll burn while lounging in bed.
Maintain a Calorie Deficit
Creating a moderate calorie deficit through diet and exercise is key for weight loss. As you lose weight, your BMR decreases since your body has less mass to sustain.
However, regular exercise helps counteract this by building calorie-burning muscle mass. Aim for a deficit of 500 calories daily through diet and activity.
Change Sleep Positions
Sleeping on your back or side burns slightly more calories than sleeping on your stomach. This is because stomach sleeping restricts breathing, reducing oxygen use.
For the highest calorie burn, avoid stomach sleeping. Switch between back and side sleeping instead.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking more water may boost the calories burned at rest slightly. Water’s effects on metabolism include:
- Increasing metabolism up to 30% for 1-1.5 hours after drinking.
- Raising body temperature and energy expenditure.
- Requiring calories to absorb and distribute water.
Aim for eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily minimum.
Chew Gum
Chewing gum while lying in bed can burn 11 calories per hour. While not huge, this calorie burn can add up over the course of a day.
Other benefits of chewing gum include:
- Increasing blood flow to the brain
- Reducing cortisol
- Suppressing appetite
Opt for sugar-free gum to avoid excess calories.
Consider Prescription Medications
Certain prescription medications may increase resting calorie burn. However, they have risks and side effects to consider.
Options include:
- Liraglutide – Diabetes drug that may increase metabolism by 500 calories per day.
- Phentermine – Appetite suppressant that can raise resting metabolic rate.
- Growth hormone – Increases muscle mass and decreases fat mass.
Talk to your doctor before taking any medication to boost metabolism.
Calorie Burn From Resting Activities
Here’s an estimate of how many calories are burned per hour doing various resting activities:
| Activity | Calories Burned Per Hour |
|---|---|
| Sleeping | 50-65 |
| Reclining | 35-45 |
| Watching TV | 35-40 |
| Listening to Music | 30-40 |
| Reading | 30-40 |
As you can see, the difference in resting calorie burn between various low-energy activities is relatively small. Any movements, muscle contractions, or extra NEAT spikes make more of a difference.
Ways to Burn More Calories While Lying in Bed
Here is a summary of the top strategies covered in this article to burn more calories while at rest in bed:
- Fidget, stretch, and change positions frequently
- Contract and squeeze muscles through targeted exercises
- Take advantage of NEAT spikes after meals
- Sleep in a cooler room temperature
- Consider metabolism-boosting supplements like green tea extract
- Get 7-9 hours of high quality sleep per night
- Do regular resistance training and high intensity intervals
- Eat a high protein diet
- Increase NEAT through lifestyle changes
- Maintain a moderate calorie deficit
- Change up your sleep positions and avoid stomach sleeping
- Stay well hydrated with water
- Chew gum
- Talk to your doctor about prescription medications if needed
The Bottom Line
Lying in bed burns 50-80% of the calories you’d burn in a day thanks to your basal metabolic rate. Small adjustments like fidgeting, flexing muscles, sleeping in a cool room, and staying hydrated can further increase your passive calorie burn.
More significant calorie burn comes from lifestyle changes like moving more daily, eating protein, strength training, doing intervals, and maintaining a calorie deficit. Focus on these healthy habits to boost calorie burning even while at rest.
