Sleep: A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. During sleep the brain in humans and other mammals undergoes a characteristic cycle of brain-wave activity that includes intervals of dreaming.

I love me some sleep. In fact, one of the things I look forward to most tonight is curling up in bed at the evening’s end and getting a good 9 hours in, that magic duration that I can only seem to get once every other weekend if I am lucky, but always strive for during the week. I can usually go on less, 5-7. And had frequently in my past pulled 4 hour nights and been able to make it through the day, even if I were out the night before drinking God knows what.

Recently an article was posted on WebMD titled Lose Weight With a Good Night’s Sleep which detailed some more information about the importance of sleep. I knew it always helped me to get some good sleep in, especially when I had been very active (either at work or play) or if I am sick, but the study they mention has some interesting results that can be interpreted a few ways. The main find of this study being that “Sleepers getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night tended to be heavier than longer sleepers.”

The participants of this study wore armbands so that the researchers could measure their activity, body position, body temperature, and various other indications of their activity levels and how often they were at rest. While the BMI index of the shorter sleepers tended to be averaging 28.3, the average for the long sleepers was 24.5. (BMI Range: 18.5-24.9 = normal weight, 25.0-29.9 = overweight).

Surprisingly, the overweight participants were significantly more active than their normal-weight peers. The overweight participants took an average of 13,896 steps per day, compared to 11,292 for normal-weight participants. The overweight participants also burned nearly 1,000 more calories per day on average than their normal-weight peers.

There are several possible reasons, [lead researcher] Arn Eliasson says. Lack of sleep may disrupt natural hormonal balances, triggering overeating. Stress could also be a factor — contributing to less sleep and more eating in the same people.

This story got me thinking. I work a pretty standard schedule, but occasionally I have weeks where things get thrown off. Although I am scheduled to work 9:00am – 6:00pm I sometimes have to come in early, such as if I am dropping off my son at the daycare first. So I will be up at 5:00am, running around, driving him to the daycare, and getting to work a bit early.

I tend to eat my breakfast earlier on those days, want to snack more, etc. I will have the same Weight Watchers® points worth of food that I have on other days, but even though I am not working out and should be fine on those same points I end up needing more. Spacing out my points helps to a point (no pun intended) but it is harder to stay on a healthy plan when I go off my “normal” routine.

Is it because I got less sleep and need more calories since I am awake, and that I overcompensate? Or is it the stress, as stated in the article, that comes with working a longer day? Does that lack of organization make me more apt to move my “winging it” attitude when it comes to my dietary/fitness plan into a full on “flyin’ free” and throw everything off?

According to the article more research will be done. But it will definitely be on my mind for a while, especially if any late nights are planned or sudden changes in schedule coming up. Or perhaps I can just use this as an excuse to catch some more sleep: “I have a health condition and I need to sleep in today.”

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3. Breaking Down Macronutrient Myths