Researchers at Columbia University in New York have observed that sleep deprived individuals consume more calories the day after than if they had a good night's sleep. According to the study, women consume 329 more calories and men consume 269 extra.
In addition to consuming more calories, the study participants seemed to gravitate to high-fat, high-protein foods when sleep deprived, especially ice cream.
Regularly consuming an additional 300 calories per day would add up to about 30 pounds of weight gain over the course of a year, thus increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses associated with being overweight and obesity.
The first thing I thought when I read this study was, "Oh, right. Freshman fifteen." College students get waaaaaaaaaaay less sleep than they need. And we realize it. Well, most of us do. But we choose to do nothing about it, or just take lots of naps. Anyway, we all need to get the right amount of sleep (at least 7-8 hrs per night), or else we will feel it in more ways than one.
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