Ladies, we’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again… and again. Sleep is important!

In yet another study that backs this up, researchers from the University of Boulder Colorado at found that insufficient sleep for just 5 consecutive days could lead to weight gain.

From the University:

For the study, researchers monitored 16 young, lean, healthy adults who lived for about two weeks at the University of Colorado Hospital, which is equipped with a “sleep suite” for controlling sleep opportunities — by providing a quiet environment and by regulating when the lights are on and off — and a sealed room that allows researchers to measure how much energy participants are using based on the amount of oxygen they breathe in and the amount of carbon dioxide they breathe out.

 Results:

•  Sleeping just five hours a night over a workweek and having unlimited access to food caused participants to gain nearly two pounds of weight.
• On average, the participants who slept for up to five hours a night burned 5 percent more energy than those who slept up to nine hours a night, but they consumed 6 percent more calories.
• Those getting less sleep also tended to eat smaller breakfasts but binge on after-dinner snacks.
• In fact, the total amount of calories consumed in evening snacks was larger than the calories that made up any individual meal. 
• Men gained some weight even with adequate sleep when they could eat as much as they wanted, while women simply maintained their weight when they had adequate sleep.
• Both men and women gained weight when they were only allowed to sleep for up to five hours.