ShareStaying up late every night and sleeping in is a habit that could put you at risk for gaining weight. People who go to bed late and sleep late eat more calories in the evening, more fast food, fewer fruits and vegetables and weigh more than people who go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Late sleepers consumed 248 more calories a day, twice as much fast food and half as many fruits and vegetables as those with earlier sleep times, according to the study. They also drank more full-calorie sodas. The late sleepers consumed the extra calories during dinner and later in the evening when everyone else was asleep. They also had a higher body mass index, a measure of body weight, than normal sleepers.
Guess old wives’ tales have an element of truth to them after all! It would be interesting to see if the late sleepers were more likely to have other bad habits that could contribute to their health status. It’s probably safe to say that just because someone sleeps at odd hours, they doesn’t mean they automatically will weigh more.
Agree – there are obviously other components in play. More of a trend around general lifestyle, it appears.