No matter your goals, a 24-hour fast can have numerous beneficial effects on your body.
Fasting can trigger several physiological processes in your body, such as blood sugar drop, ketosis and autophagy. These can result in weight loss, increased energy levels and enhanced mental clarity.
1. Weight loss
A 24-hour fast is an intermittent fasting pattern where you abstain from food and calorie-containing beverages for 24 hours. This can be done either morning-to-morning or night-to-night.
Fasting can help to reduce your caloric intake and create an energy deficit, leading to weight loss as the body burns fewer calories when in a fasted state than when eating.
Your basal metabolic rate, total body expenditure and food’s thermogenic effect all play a role in how many calories you burn while fasting.
A 24-hour fast once a week can aid in weight loss and improved health, by decreasing risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol and triglycerides.
2. Increased energy
A 24 hour fast can significantly impact your energy levels. Your body no longer relies on glucose for fuel, but instead starts using fat as fuel source.
Your body may also turn to gluconeogenesis, an enzyme which has been proven to increase metabolism and burn more calories during a 24-hour fast. But this is not the only benefit you’ll experience from abstaining from food for 24 hours.
Another factor contributing to increased energy levels is the autophagy process. This is when your cells break down old proteins and recycle them into new ones; though it’s a complex procedure, a 24-hour fast can jumpstart this essential cellular activity.
3. Better sleep
One of the primary benefits of a 24-hour fast is improved sleep quality, due to your brain’s capacity for optimizing blood flow during this period of the month. Furthermore, an extended fast may also lead to improved insulin sensitivity and decreased inflammation. The health advantages associated with such an itinerary have long been documented; aside from these three main effects, other notable advantages include an enhanced sense of wellbeing, reduced stress levels and enhanced productivity at work and home.
4. Increased mental clarity
A 24 hour fast is an intermittent fasting pattern in which you abstain from food for one day each week. During this period, your blood sugar drops significantly and enters ketosis, burning fat instead of glucose as energy source. Studies have suggested this process has many beneficial effects on the brain and may enhance mental clarity.
Another advantage of a 24-hour fast is its ability to reduce inflammation in the body. Additionally, it encourages autophagy–another detoxifying process–which helps clear away old cells and debris built up throughout the day. Furthermore, it increases production of anti-inflammatory molecules like adenosine while decreasing pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines–especially beneficial for individuals suffering from anxiety or other neuropsychiatric disorders.
5. Increased metabolism
One of the key advantages of a 24 hour fast is its potential to boost metabolism. This occurs because your body undergoes a metabolic shift after fasting, causing it to burn fat instead of glucose for energy production.
An increased metabolism can help you burn more calories and shed pounds. Furthermore, it allows your body to use stored fat for energy more efficiently.
This is beneficial, as it can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Furthermore, exercising can lower cholesterol levels and blood triglycerides in your bloodstream.
