Your Insomnia Could Be Leading To Unhealthy Eating Habits

Couldn't get any rest last night? You'll make up for it with more calories during the day.

New research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that partial sleep deprivation causes people to eat an average of 385 calories more than usual the next day. The body tries to make up for the lack of energy from minimal rest by consuming more energy (calories) to use throughout the day.

This research pooled results from 11 different studies that observed the sleeping and eating habits of 172 people ages 18 to 50. The conclusion, scientists said, was that lack of sleep was linked to weight gain, and habitual insomnia was linked to obesity. Participants who were sleep-deprived also consumed more fat and less protein the next day.

"The main cause of obesity is an imbalance between calorie intake and expenditure and this study adds to accumulating evidence that sleep deprivation could contribute to this imbalance," said Gerda Pot, from King's College London. "So there may be some truth in the saying 'early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy and wise.'"