A new Kaiser Permanente study found that people wanting to lose at least 10 pounds would be more likely to reach that goal with lower stress levels and more sleep. The study noted that individuals should sleep more than six hours, but not more than eight hours, a night.

Nearly 500 participants from Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Washington took part in the study, which measured whether sleep, stress, depression and television viewing were correlated with weight loss.

"This study suggests that when people are trying to lose weight, they should try to get the right amount of sleep and reduce their stress," said lead author Charles Elder, MD, MPH, an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, OR. "Some people may just need to cut back on their schedules and get to bed earlier. Others may find that exercise can reduce stress and help them sleep. For some people, mind/body techniques such as meditation also might be helpful.