Less sleep can lead to weight gain

Sleeping less than seven hours a night has been shown to create greater risk of weight gain and obesity, the New York Times reports, with the risk increasing for every lost hour of sleep. A study published this year in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at a small group of men, measuring their food intake across two 48-hour periods, one in which they slept eight hours and another in which they slept only four. After getting less sleep, the men consumed more than 500 calories extra (roughly 22 per cent more) than after eight hours of sleep. A University of Chicago study last year had similar results in men and women, who took in more calories from snacks and carbohydrates.

New York Times