[Study] Sleep Deprivation is Totally Making You a Fatass

It seems a facet of adult life- at least among the constantly connected, heavily tech-industry leaning adults I know- is a constant deficit of sleep, but the practice could lead to weight gain, a new study shows.

Yes, at least caucusing with fellow bloggers, sleep deprivation (and a sedentary lifestyle) is endemic. Lust for naps and early nights in seems to increase exponentially after the age of 30, and researchers say all this missed sleep could be causing us to graze upon an ignored metric fuckton of calories- almost 600 daily, to be exact. The research was undertaken at the midwest’s Mayo Clinic, employing 17 healthy volunteer participants to live under intense scrutiny while all their processes were measured for the study.

When sleep levels were decreased among participants, researchers- who had suspected that obesity rates were affected by sleep deprivation- noted a caloric intake increase of about 549 calories per day correlated with an hour and twenty minutes less sleep. Senior study author Virend Somers commented on the findings, and tying Facebook into the equation:

“Many young people spend hours at night using technology, on websites like Facebook, which is stopping them from sleeping enough. Is that having an impact on obesity? It may be the case.”

The study was presented at an American Heart Association conference in San Diego during the week.

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Tags: Diet, obesity, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Studies, Weight Gain

About the Author

Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.