Fat burners are, without a doubt, one of the most popular fitness supplements on the market. They're designed to rev your metabolism, maximize calorie burn, and help you shed fat fast. But wouldn't it be easy if we could burn fat while we sleep?

Unlike the muscle repair process that primarily happens once we doze off to la-la land, nighttime fat burners are geared towards helping your body burn fat during sleep, creating the perfect setting for muscle growth and fat burn.

But finding a nighttime fat burner that's clean and effective can be as challenging as sticking to your diet in the face of constant temptation.

Many fat-loss products are effective because they contain stimulants that rev the nervous system and fire up pathways that inhibit lipolysis and enhance energy expenditure. But a high-stim fat-burner probably isn't the best option when you're trying to get a good night's sleep to solidify all your gains.

So, we're going through everything you need to know about nighttime fat burners and if taking one is worth your while.

What Is A Nighttime Fat Burner?

Just like a fat burner designed to be taken during the day, a night-time fat burner is a formula containing ingredients that increase metabolic rate, stimulate lipolysis and thermogenesis, and increase weight loss and fat burner.

However, because they work during sleep, most nighttime fat burners won't contain stimulants to avoid sleep disruptions and will instead contain sleep-supportive substances.

Some of the most common ingredients in nighttime fat burners include:

  • Vitamin B6
  • Magnesium
  • EGCG
  • 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan)
  • Melatonin
  • Black pepper extract
  • GABA
  • Passionflower
  • Valerian
  • Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
  • L-theanine
  • Tryptophan
  • Ashwagandha

Generally speaking, fat burners work on three main mechanisms 1:

  1. Thermogenesis: by increasing core body temperature and raising metabolic rate, fat burners can enhance energy expenditure and weight loss.
  2. Appetite control: Better insulin and glucose regulation means better appetite control and less food cravings.
  3. Fat oxidation: Burning up fat stores is the goal of any good fat burner, which is done by mobilizing fat stores and increasing fat oxidation and utilization.

While many of the ingredients in a fat burner are effective for burning fat, none quite compare to the combination found in Burn Lab Pro.

While it's not a 'nighttime fat burner' per se, it's a stim-free formula stacked with natural fat boosters than can be used before bed. However, it's best taken before your workout if you're looking for the best fat loss results.

Sleep And Fat Loss

If you're looking for fat loss, sleep is high up on the totem pole of fat loss friends—if you're not sleeping properly and long enough, it's going to be nearly impossible to burn fat.

Over the last few decades, the amount of time Americans spend sleeping has steadily decreased while BMI has steadily increased 2, 3—think there's a link? Although a healthy diet and exercise are vital for triggering fat loss, adequate sleep is, too.

Insufficient sleep has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and stroke. It also contributes to poor appetite regulation, impaired metabolism, and low physical activity, all of which increase the risk of obesity.

How?

It's suggested that the neurotransmitters that control hunger—leptin and ghrelin—naturally increase and decrease throughout the stay to stimulate hunger or fullness, but when you don't sleep enough, these neurotransmitters are thrown out of whack.

Several studies show that sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) increase and levels of leptin (the satiety hormone) decrease, causing an increase in appetite and calories consumed 4.

On top of that, insufficient sleep can also interfere with metabolic function. Unlike exercise, which increases metabolic rate, sleep does not. Metabolic rate drops by about 15% during sleep and reaches its lowest point in the morning 5.

Studies have found that sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm disorders, and sleep-disordered breathing are linked to metabolic dysregulation via several pathways involving sympathetic overstimulation, hormonal imbalances, and subclinical inflammation.

Insufficient or poor-quality sleep leads to oxidative stress, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance 5, 6. More time awake may also increase eating opportunities, which can disrupt circadian rhythms and increase weight gain 7.

Do Nighttime Fat Burners Work?

The short answer is yes, but it depends on the ingredients. Many daytime fat burners are chock full of fat-burning ingredients, but they're also packed with stimulants. While they may help elevate fat burn through stimulatory pathways and increase the release of catecholamines, they can lead to long-term issues.

However, when you have a fat burner with clean ingredients, there is the potential for it to be effective when taken before bed. That said, let's look at what your fat burner should contain, whether it's taken at night or during the day.

3 Key Ingredients To Turn Your Body Into A Fat-Burning Machine

1. Forskolin

You may or may not have heard of forskolin before, but it must be in your fat burner. Isolated from the root of the coleus forskohlii plant, forskolin offers powerful fat mobilization properties via adenylate cyclase to promote the breakdown of fat stores. The adenylate cyclase enzyme activates cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), stimulating fat breakdown and utilization.

Accumulation of cAMP increases the production of hormone‐sensitive lipase (HSL), which is directly involved in the mobilization of stored fats to break down to release free fatty acids 8. So, increasing levels of forskolin should essentially enhance fat breakdown, burning, and weight loss 9.

In short, forskolin is effective for:

  • Regulating lipid and glucose metabolism
  • Enhancing energy expenditure
  • Suppressing appetite
  • Increasing testosterone levels
  • Preserving lean muscle tissue

2. HMB (B-hydroxy-B-methylbutyrate)

If you want to burn fat without burning muscle tissue, HMB is a must. It's a metabolite produced during the breakdown of the muscle-building amino acid leucine.

When leucine breaks down, about 80% is shunted towards protein synthesis, while the remaining 20% produces two products: alpha-ketoisocaproate (a-KIC) and HMB; a-KIC comprises roughly 95% of leucine breakdown, while HMB comprises about 5% 10. So, while leucine may provide small amounts of HMB, it's more effective to supplement the pure stuff.

But the reason HMB is so protective against muscle breakdown is that it has powerful anti-catabolic effects and lipolytic effects and can reduce markers of muscle damage during fasted training or periods of caloric deficit, such as creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and spare muscle protein wasting 11, 12.

3. Capsaicin

If you've ever experienced the pungent burn of chili pepper going down your throat, you know how hot they can get—and they do the same to your metabolism.

The active compound in chili peppers, capsaicin, works as a potent thermogenic agent to increase core body temperature and stimulate the sympathetic nervous system to upregulate the release of catecholamines.

Higher catecholamine concentrations like epinephrine and cortisol lead to more energy and increased fat metabolism 13. When you increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, you activate fight-or-flight mode and subsequently downregulate hunger.

If that's not enough, there's also research supporting its function in:

  • Improving metabolic and hormonal function
  • Reducing insulin and leptin resistance
  • Improving endothelial function
  • Increasing energy expenditure
  • Triggering thermogenesis
  • Maximizing weight loss
  • Increasing fat burn

But the best part about capsaicin? It has stimulant properties without actually being a stimulant.

Looking For Stim-Free Fat Loss? Check This Out

When it comes to fat burners, there's a wide variety of products available, all with different ingredients and different mechanisms.

But if you want to effectively burn fat without exciting your nervous system, finding a fat burner that doesn't tank your metabolism or mess with your sleep can be a challenge. That is, until now.

Traditionally, fat burners rely on a combination of "stimulating" ingredients that fire up fat-burning pathways, but not Burn Lab Pro®—it's a revolutionary formula that ramps up fat-burning without causing burnout.

Simply put, having a fat burner like Burn Lab Pro® in your stack is a major game-changer.

While Burn Lab Pro® may not be a nighttime fat burner, its ingredients are unlike anything on the market—and so are its effects.

Because Burn Lab Pro® is a stim-free fat burner, it's safe to take before sleep without risking sleep disruption. That said, you'll achieve far better results with it when taken before a workout, especially if you're training in a fasted state.

It's a potent combination of five natural ingredients that supercharge your fat-burning strategy. Featuring Forslean® Coleus Forskohlii, Capsimax® cayenne pepper extract, ß-hydroxy-ß-methyl butyrate, NutriGenesis® GTF-Chromium, and Bioperine® black pepper extract, Burn Lab Pro breaks down fat while maintaining muscle mass and enhancing performance.

It's the most effective way to torch fat without compromising your gains!

References

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  2. Ogilvie RP, Patel SR. The epidemiology of sleep and obesity. Sleep Health. 2017;3(5):383-388.
  3. Flegal KM, Kruszon-Moran D, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014. JAMA. 2016;315(21):2284-2291.
  4. Spiegel K, Tasali E, Penev P, Van Cauter E. Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141(11):846-850.
  5. Sharma S, Kavuru M. Sleep and metabolism: an overview. Int J Endocrinol. 2010;2010:270832.
  6. Depner CM, Stothard ER, Wright KP Jr. Metabolic consequences of sleep and circadian disorders. Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(7):507.
  7. Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Sleep, circadian rhythm and body weight: parallel developments. Proc Nutr Soc. 2016;75(4):431-439.
  8. Godard MP, Johnson BA, Richmond SR. Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men. Obes Res. 2005;13(8):1335-1343.
  9. Henderson S, Magu B, Rasmussen C, et al. Effects of coleus forskohlii supplementation on body composition and hematological profiles in mildly overweight women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2005;2(2):54-62.
  10. Molfino A, Gioia G, Rossi Fanelli F, Muscaritoli M. Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate supplementation in health and disease: a systematic review of randomized trials. Amino Acids. 2013;45(6):1273-1292.
  11. Henderson S, Magu B, Rasmussen C, et al. Effects of coleus forskohlii supplementation on body composition and hematological profiles in mildly overweight women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2005;2(2):54-62.
  12. Knitter AE, Panton L, Rathmacher JA, Petersen A, Sharp R. Effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate on muscle damage after a prolonged run. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2000;89(4):1340-1344.
  13. Cho AS, Jeon SM, Kim MJ, et al. Chlorogenic acid exhibits anti-obesity property and improves lipid metabolism in high-fat diet-induced-obese mice. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010;48(3):937-943.