Four Hours or Less of Sleeping Time Results in Belly Fat, Obesity [STUDY]

According to a new study, Munchies during midnight might be associated with being sleepy. Experts found that cravings before bedtime are probably a side effect of lack of sleep.

When experienced simultaneously, both the food cravings and sleeping problems could result in excessive calorie consumption and accumulation of belly fat. Specialists from the prestigious Mayo Clinic conducted the study.

Lack of Sleep and Midnight Cravings

Most previous research that tackles bedtime rest and sleeping patterns suggest that the best hours to retire at night should be seven to nine hours.

Although there was data to support this theory, many people in the United States, or about one-third of the country's population, are still not in line with the recommended sleeping hours. Most of them either experience additional factors or are unaware of this healthy bedtime routine.

In recent years, 'doomscrolling' was among the key reasons that hinder individuals from getting healthy sleep. This phenomenon affects not just adults but also younger adults and teens, as the use of electronics nowadays is rampant compared to the past decade.

The lack of sleep, as per the study, results in unwanted belly fat and even weight gain. The most concerning aspect is that it does not pick any age groups to attack and affects even healthy and relatively lean people.

Visceral Fat: Dangerous Belly Fat

In weight gain, a risky type of fat known as visceral fat is being accumulated by patients. Unlike other types of fat that are present in the human body, visceral fats tend to wrap themselves around organs.

Too much visceral fat content in a person could lead to organ dysfunction. Among the common diagnoses associated with high visceral fat are kidney diseases and heart problems.

According to the study, oversleeping on weekends could let people catch up on their sleeping time. Even though it could decrease a person's weight, visceral fat does not decline.

Mayo Clinic's Department of Cardiovascular Medicine expert and lead author of the study, Virend Somers, explained in a press release that the study proves how inadequate sleep is a previously unrecognized trigger for accumulation of the visceral fats in a body.

The findings implicate that, in a severe case, sleep insufficiency could contribute to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic problems, and obesity, Somers continued.

The new sleep research was made possible by participating 12 individuals who do not have any underlying conditions and are not patients of obesity. Before the observation began, each of the subjects prepared themselves in a specialized environment for four days.

Over the course of two weeks, the group was only allowed to sleep a maximum of four hours per night. A separate team that served as the control group was allowed nine hours of sleeping time. Each group had a similar food and diet routine throughout the investigation.

The results showed that the 4-hour sleepers consumed 300 more calories, with each of them eating at least 13 percent more protein and 17 percent more fat. The visceral fat content was confirmed in this group through a CT scan, which emphasized that weight as a sole basis is not sufficient to diagnose people with inadequate sleep.

The study was published in the American College of Cardiology Journal, titled "Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Visceral Obesity."

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