The best path to a healthy weight may be a good night’s sleep.
For years researchers have known that adults who sleep less than
five or six hours a night are at higher risk of being
overweight. Among children, sleeping less than 10 hours a night
is associated with weight gain. Now a fascinating new study
suggests that the link may be even more insidious than
previously thought. Losing just a few hours of sleep a few
nights in a row can lead to almost immediate weight gain. Sleep
researchers from the University of Colorado recruited 16 healthy
men and women for a two-week experiment tracking sleep,
metabolism and eating habits. Nothing was left to chance: The
subjects stayed in a special room that allowed researchers to
track their metabolism by measuring the amount of oxygen they
used and carbon dioxide they produced. Every bite of food was
recorded, and strict sleep schedules were imposed. The goal was
to determine how inadequate sleep over just one week — similar
to what might occur when students cram for e