Obesity – Despite effective diets – from low carb to intermittent fasting – the incidence of obesity is increasing. US scientists have now proven in a practical experiment: 1.2 hours more sleep corresponds to 270 kilocalories less energy intake per day.
“There is well-established evidence that sleeping less than seven hours a night on a regular basis is associated with negative health effects. In particular, there is growing recognition that insufficient sleep is a significant risk factor for obesity,” the study states. However, this has not yet been quantified.
Scientists from the University of Chicago conducted a study between early November 2014 and late October 2020 with 80 subjects, 41 of them men. All participants had a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9. A BMI over 30 is considered obese. The participants, mean age of 29.8 years, typically slept less than 6.5 hours per night.
Half of the group was encouraged to get as much as 8.5 hours of sleep a night as possible. Weight, energy intake, energy expenditure and sleep duration were monitored using technical means. The subjects led their normal lives as usual, dieting was avoided.
“The more sleep group showed a significant reduction in energy intake (minus 270 kilocalories per day) compared to the control group. There was no significant effect of this ‘treatment’ on energy expenditure (…). Improving or maintaining a healthy sleep duration over longer periods could be part of obesity prevention and weight loss programs,” the analysis said.
The study by Esra Tasali from the University of Chicago, published in the journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Internal Medicine), is currently one of the most widely read current scientific studies by doctors in the USA.
*Specialist publication number DOI:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098