Lose Weight, Get Sleep

When it comes to losing weight, you might want to think about getting a little more shuteye.

It's amazing just how important sleep is to our health and now it looks like it's equally important to our overall weight.

For years we've known there has been a connection between how many hours of sleep we get each night and how we feel the next day. We've also known that good sleep works to help keep our weight under control. But a new study is showing how just a few late nights can actually add on the pounds.

Researchers recently kept 30 men and women in a lab for 10 days so they could closely regulate their sleep and eating patterns. For part of the study, they only let them sleep for four hours a night, other days they slept nine hours. The researchers found that both groups burned the same amount of calories during the day, around 2,600. But on the days study participants only slept for 4 hours, they also ended up eating about 300 more calories. Although that might not sound like much, a small snack here or there can quickly pile on the pounds.

Experts think part of the reason lack of sleep makes us eat more is because it plays havoc with the hormones in our bodies that tell us how hungry we are. Also, if we are tired during the day, we are less likely to resist our cravings and pick up that extra snack or two.

So besides keeping us rested, it looks like getting enough sleep can also help us keep the pounds off.