With 70 million Americans suffering from a sleep disorder and scientific data now linking sleep deprivation to weight gain, is it any wonder that we have the obesity problem we do?

You can’t attribute it all to poor sleep, however new research suggests sleep deprived Americans consume more calories than those who are not.

In a study conducted at the University of Chicago, researchers found that after two nights of diminished sleep, subjects were more likely to find foods such as candy, cookies and cake more appealing than fruit, vegetables or dairy products.

Furthermore, when volunteers of another study slept only 5.5 hours at night, they ate their normal amounts of food at mealtime but their snack intake changed dramatically: on average about 1000 extra calories between 11PM and 7AM.
Even one hour can make the difference. If you were to sleep eight versus seven hours a night, you would lose an extra 118 calories per hour of sleep.
Here 6 ways to lose weight through better sleep• Select one bedtime and stick to it

• Stop caffeine by 2 PM
• Limit alcohol 3 hours before bed or eliminate completely
• Limit exercise 4 hours before bed
• Get 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight or light box, everyday
• Minimize reading or watching TV in bed

Download the Epworth Sleepiness Scale here. Please discuss your results with our provider if your score is greater than 10.