Sleeping in cold temps burns more calories?

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Daniel Bustamante watches what he eats and exercises, but like many people he wishes it wasn't so hard.

A new study that shows sleeping at a cooler temperature can help people lose weight may be just what the doctor ordered.

"I love that study because it's pretty easy to do and I enjoy sleeping," Bustamante said.

Experts from the U.S. National Institutes of Health asked healthy male volunteers to sleep in climate-controlled bedrooms for four months.

Scientists used PET scans to track the men's metabolisms. They found that participants burned more calories when they slept in a 66-degree room.

At that temperature, brown adipose tissue became more activated.

Brown fat is sometimes referred to as a good fat because it's metabolically active. It's been shown to take sugar out of the blood stream to burn calories in order to keep your core temperature constant.

"When people were placed in a colder environment, they were able to burn what they ate faster," said Dr. Rahul Dhawan, an internal medicine specialist.

Dhawan said while the study was well structured and interesting, it was small.

He also adds sleeping in a cold room isn't enough to help you shed pounds if that's the only change you make. But he says it couldn't hurt.

Bustamante might end up using more blankets, but he's willing to give it a try.

"I think everybody could turn the heat down a little bit and get ready for the beach," Bustamante said.

If only it really was that easy.