According to research, sleep restricted subjects reported decrease in appetite, food cravings and food consumption -- but they nonetheless gained weight over the course of the study.
The people whose sleep was restricted experienced an average weight gain of 1.31 kilograms over the 11 days of the study. A group of well rested control subjects did not experience the weight gain.
Even though the desire to eat was not physiologically increased by sleep loss in participants, other factors such as a sedentary environment and the ability to snack for longer due to reduction in time spent asleep might have influenced the weight gain.
Another study points out the necessity of getting sufficient sleep if you're an athlete, and how sleeping more may improve your mood.
Athletes who extend their nightly sleep and reduce accumulated sleep debt report improvements in drills conducted after regular practice.
A study indicates that sleep extension in athletes is associated with a faster sprinting drill, increased hitting accuracy, and a better hitting depth drill.
According to the lead author of the study, Cheri Mah, many of the athletes who participated in the study realized for the first time the importance of sleep and how it impacts their performance during competitions.