Sleep well to help you lose weight

Posted on 09. Nov, 2010 by Julia Barnard in sleep, Wellbeing Research

Have you ever noticed that after a bad night’s sleep you find yourself feeling more hungry than usual? Do you also find yourself choosing a take away, rather than cooking? Well sleep deprived people have been shown to feel hungrier. A University of Chicago study involved ten overweight men and women who were given a calorie-controlled diet and were subjected to a period of sleep deprivation of 5.5 hours a night. This was compared to a period of sleep that was for 8.5 hours. Both sleep periods led to identical weight loss. However, when participants only got 5.5 hours of sleep, their weight loss was mainly a result of muscle rather than fat. When sleep deprived, participants reported feeling hungry, but given the lab conditions they did not have opportunities to further satisfy their hunger.

This study indicates two good reasons to sleep well. First, you are less likely to feel hungry, thereby controlling your calorie intake. Second, even if you do control your calories, your weight loss may not be the fat you are hoping to shed.

Tags: sleep, sleep deprivation, weight