In a new study from the University of Chicago, researchers found the current obesity epidemic is mostly explained by an increase in caloric intake, rather than lack of exercise.
They found how getting sufficient sleep affects caloric intake in a real-world setting could change how we think about weight loss.
In the study, the team found that young, overweight adults who habitually slept fewer than 6.5 hours a night were able to increase their sleep duration by an average of 1.2 hours per night after a personalized sleep hygiene counseling session.
The sleep intervention was intended to extend time in bed duration to 8.5 hours—and the increased sleep duration compared to controls also reduced participants’ overall caloric intake by an average of 270 kcal (calories) per day.
The new study not only examines the effects of sleep extension on caloric intake but, importantly, does so in a real-world setting, with no manipulation or control over participants’ dietary habits.
Participants slept in their own beds, tracked their sleep with wearable devices, and otherwise followed their normal lifestyle without any instructions on diet or exercise.
The team says the reduced caloric intake would translate to roughly 12 kg, or 26 lbs., of weight loss over three years if the effects were maintained over a long term.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the study was the intervention’s simplicity.
After just a single sleep counseling session, participants could change their bedtime habits enough to lead to an increase in sleep duration.
Following just a single counseling session, participants increased their average sleep duration by over an hour a night.
Despite prescribing no other lifestyle changes, most participants had a large decrease in how much they ate, with some participants eating as many as 500 fewer calories per day.
The team says that even within just two weeks, there was a decrease in caloric intake and a negative energy balance—caloric intake is less than calories burned.
If healthy sleep habits are maintained over a longer duration, this would lead to clinically important weight loss over time.
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The study is published in JAMA Internal Medicine and was conducted by Esra Tasali et al.
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