Believe it or not, sleep is very important to weight loss. During these times we live in, everyone can start working on getting the right amount of sleep. So how much sleep is needed? Experts say 7-8 hour, but research has also shown that compromised sleeping patterns and sleeping 5 or less hours per night is associated with 3.7-fold greater odds of obesity among men, and a 2.3-fold increase among women compared to those sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night (Patel et al., 2008). 

Also, a recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who do not get enough sleep consumed extra calories the following day (Khatib, Harding, Darzi, & Pot, 2017). The researchers looked at the differences between sleeping only 3.5 to 5.5 hours per night to those who got 7 to 12 hours per night. They found that the sleep-deprived group consumed an average of 385 extra calories per day! This suggests that proper sleep plays a key role in maintaining energy balance. 

• So what are the effects of Sleep Deprivation?

So how many hours do you get a night? Is this something you can fix, by getting to bed 1/2 hour earlier and work your way to 7-8 hours?