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Lack of sleep gives you the munchies

People who don't get enough sleep consume more kilojoules and may be more likely to become obese, according to a new study.

The study included 17 healthy young men and women who were studied for eight nights. Half of the participants got their normal amount of sleep (control group) while the other half got only two-thirds of their typical amount of sleep (sleep-deprived group).

All the participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted during the study.

Those in the sleep-deprived group slept one hour and 20 minutes less each night than those in the control group, and consumed an average of and additional 2,306kJ per day.

Both groups burned about the same amount of energy for activity, which suggests that those in the sleep-deprived group didn't burn additional kilojoules.

Lack of sleep and hunger

Lack of sleep was associated with increased levels of leptin and decreased levels of ghrelin, both of which are appetite-associated hormones. These changes were more likely a result of overeating, rather than the cause of overeating, according to the study.

"Sleep deprivation is a growing problem, with 28% of adults now reporting that they get six or fewer hours of sleep per night," study co-author Dr. Andrew Calvin, a cardiology fellow and assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, said.

Although this study suggests sleep deprivation may be an important and preventable cause of weight gain and obesity, it was a small study and does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers noted.

"Larger studies of people in their home environments would help confirm our findings," Calvin said.

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Read more:
The emotions of overeating

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how to prevent weight gain.


(Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.)

This article has not necessarily been edited by Health24.

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