Young woman waking up in her hotel room, stretching arms

Can you sleep away a bad diet?

Wondering why you’re craving sugar so much when you’re tired? Feeling that afternoon slump?

A new study has found that sleeping a little longer each night could be the simple answer to cutting down your intake of sugary food. Many adults are not getting enough sleep each night, leaving them fatigued and craving sugary boosts.

A recent study looked at adults who slept less than seven hours per day, and their overall nutrient intake. They found that by extending sleep by an 1.5 hours, the participants ate 10g less free sugars, as well as less overall carbohydrates for the day.

This confirms what a lot of studies have already seen; that inadequate sleep is linked to poor food choices.

So put on your PJ’s a little earlier today and catch those zzz’s, then enjoy your healthy diet tomorrow!

 

Haya K Al Khatib  Wendy L Hall  Alice Creedon  Emily Ooi  Tala Masri  Laura McGowan  Scott V Harding Julia Darzi  Gerda K Pot , ”Sleep extension is a feasible lifestyle intervention in free-living adults who are habitually short sleepers: a potential strategy for decreasing intake of free sugars?” A randomized controlled pilot study . The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 107, Issue 1, 1 January 2018, Pages 43–53, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqx030