Yes, you do burn calories when you sleep. On average, a person burns about 40 to 55 calories per hour during sleep, which can total approximately 280 to 440 calories during a typical 7 to 8 hour sleep period. The calories burned during sleep are used to keep essential bodily functions going, such as breathing, circulating blood, brain activity, and temperature regulation. The exact amount of calories burned varies based on factors like body weight, metabolism, age, and gender. Heavier people tend to burn more calories while sleeping, and men may burn more than women due to generally having more muscle mass. Moreover, most calorie burning during sleep happens during the REM stage, when brain activity increases.
