Sleep Deprivation May Drive Increased Calorie Consumption

(Newswire.net — March 15, 2022) Orlando, FL — Multiple research studies have warned against sleep deprivation, which is linked with the increased risk of certain diseases.

A study warns sleep deprivation may cause people to consume more calories during the following day. 

This systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out by researchers at King’s College London. 

The investigators combined the results of a number of previous small intervention studies for the purpose of producing a more robust answer. They found that sleep-deprived individuals consumed an average of 385 kcal per day extra.

It is worth noting this is equivalent to the calories of about four and a half slices of bread.

The findings of this research were published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It combined the results of 11 studies with a total of 172 participants. The analysis also included studies comparing a partial sleep restriction intervention with an unrestricted sleep control. The researchers also measured the energy intake of the subjects over the next 24 hours. 

It’s found that partial sleep deprivation did not have a substantial impact on how much energy people expended in the subsequent 24 hours. This means participants had a net energy gain of 385 calories per day. 

The investigators also revealed there was a small shift in what sleep-deprived people consumed. More particularly, they had proportionately higher intakes of fat and lower in protein. However, there was no change in their consumption of carbohydrates.  

“The main cause of obesity is an imbalance between calorie intake and expenditure and this study adds to accumulating evidence that sleep deprivation could contribute to this imbalance. So there may be some truth in the saying ‘early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy and wise,” said Dr. Gerda Pot.

Dr. Pot is a senior author from the Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences Division at King’s College London and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“This study found that partial sleep deprivation resulted in a large net increased energy intake of 385 kcal per day. If long-term sleep deprivation continues to result in an increased calorie intake of this magnitude, it may contribute to weight gain.”

It is essential to resort to measures helpful in improving sleep. There are all-natural remedies like the use of Divine Bounty Lion’s Mane found to be helpful.

In a Japanese study involving students with notoriously poor sleep habits, it’s been found the use of lion’s mane helped lessen insomnia and stress. This is good news considering that stress is also one of the contributing factors of poor sleep, so reducing one might aid the other (https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Lions-Mane-Mushroom-Capsules/dp/B07LGR1KN7).