If you aren’t sleeping well, research suggests that it may have a negative impact on your weight. A spokesperson for The Sleep Council has explained that a recent sleep study showed that you may eat more while you’re awake to compensate for the times when you’re bored. The study was carried out by the psychology departments of the University of Pennsylvania, highlighting that healthy adults with chronic sleep patterns could be more susceptible to weight gain as they’re more likely to consume more calories when they’re awake. The study involved 225 adults aged between 22 and 50 years of age – researchers noted that those who spent only four hours in bed from the hours of 4am to 8am for five consecutive nights gained more weight than those who slept for 10 hours. There appears to be two separate groups though – those who choose to stay up late, and those who struggle to sleep. If you’re choosing to stay up late, a key reason from the study was found to be watching TV until the early hours. A study carried out in 2011 found that these people had a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and poorer eating habits.
While gaining weight may not seem like an important side effect of sleep problems, if you develop a problem with your weight it can increase the risk of sleep apnea – this is a common sleep disorder which can severely impact your sleep quality. It interrupts your breathing while you sleep, which leaves you with limited energy during the day and also places a lot of stress on your heart while you sleep, making it quite dangerous. It was believed by experts that you should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but now researchers think that less sleep that’s of better quality could be the way forward.
Comments are closed.