I’ve told you in the past that inadequate or poor sleep can lead to overweight or obesity. Now HealthDay is reporting, “Insufficient sleep is tied to increased calorie consumption and abdominal fat accumulation, according to a study.”

The researchers found that participants consumed more calories (>300 calories per day), increasing protein and fat intake with sleep restriction versus control. There was no change observed in energy expenditure.

In other words, in the experiment, those with sleep that was restricted gained significantly more weight than those who were allowed to sleep normally.

Now, total body fat changes did not differ between the two groups, but total abdominal fat increased during sleep restriction, with significant increases for both subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat depots.

“The visceral fat accumulation was only detected by computed tomography scan and would otherwise have been missed, especially since the increase in weight was quite modest — only about a pound,” one of the researchers said in a statement.

“Also concerning are the potential effects of repeated periods of inadequate sleep in terms of progressive and cumulative increases in visceral fat over several years.”

Past research has shown that poor or inadequate sleep increases the body’s production of a hormone called ghrelin which increases one’s appetite the next day. On the other side of the coin, a good night’s sleep increases the body’s production of leptin, which decreases one’s appetite the next day.

So, for weight reduction or weight control, eat a healthy diet, exercise, AND get a good night’s sleep as much as possible.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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