A groundbreaking study from the University of Chicago reveals that individuals who get less sleep lose significantly less fat on a low-calorie diet compared to those who sleep longer.
In this controlled research, ten overweight men and women stayed at a sleep center for two separate two-week periods. Throughout both phases, participants followed a strict low-calorie diet. In the first period, they slept 8.5 hours per night; in the second, just 5.5 hours.
Key Results
Participants lost an average of three kilos in both periods. However, during adequate sleep (8.5 hours), 50% of the weight loss came from fat. With short sleep (5.5 hours), only 25% was fat—most losses were muscle mass instead.
The findings were published in the prestigious journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
