Sleepy people don’t make healthy food choices and tend to overeat, according to a study at and the .
“Our data show that reducing sleep increases energy and fat intakes, which may explain some of the association observed between sleep and obesity,” says , a NYORC research associate. “If sustained, the dietary choices made by individuals undergoing short sleep would predispose to obesity and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”
On two occasions, St-Onge and her colleagues kept 13 men and 13 women in a controlled environment for six days. Participants spent nine hours a day in bed during the first session, and only four hours in bed during the second session. Researchers found that people — especially women — ate more than 300 calories more per day when they were tired compared to when they were well-rested.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association’s on Tuesday.
For more on the importance of good sleep, read “” from the January issue of ϳԹ.
–Whitney Dreier