Sleep Deprivation And Energy Intake

The Study

In this interesting study, 80 subjects who were overweight and slept an average of 6.5 hours per night were randomized into two groups. One group continued their usual sleep patterns, while the other group received sleep hygiene counseling with the goal of increasing their sleep to 8.5 hours per night.

The intervention lasted for 28 days and the subjects had their energy intake measured by doubly labeled water, which is very accurate. By the end of the follow up period, the sleep counseling group increased their sleep by 1.2 hours. They also consumed 270 fewer calories per day than subjects sleeping 6.5 hours. Jama Internal Medicine doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098

Take Home Message

The authors present several possible reasons why inadequate sleep increases energy consumption:

-Sleep deprivation may increase hunger.

-Sleep deprivation may alter appetite hormones.

-Sleep deprivation may cause changes in brain regions related to reward.

Whatever the reason, getting your sleep up to a minimum of 7 hours per night may really help with hunger and rate of weight loss.