Sleeping in on the weekend may keep your body weight down
We know BMI (body mass index) isn’t the be-all-end-all of health indicators, but a new study has revealed that sleeping in on the weekend may keep your body weight down, which is an interesting thing to note if you like to get a little extra shut eye on your days off. The study, conducted by researchers in South Korea, found sleepers who engage in catch-up shut-eye over the weekend have, on average, a lower BMI than those who don’t hit snooze on Saturday and Sunday.
According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Chang-Ho Yun, short-changing yourself on sleep can lead to sleep debt, increasing your risk of weight-related medical conditions, such as hypertension, coronary disease, and obesity. Sleeping in is not lazy, it’s health-conscious! Science says so!
What’s more, sleeping in is better than napping, so the night before, be sure to tuck in for the long haul. Fancy PJs and super soft velour socks? Check and check!
In order to determine how weekend sleep related to body weight, researchers analyzed data from a nationwide survey of over 2,000 people ranging in age from 19 to 82. The study’s team then followed up with participants in face-to-face interviews, inquiring about their height, weight, sleep habits during the week and on the weekends, and existing medical conditions. Finally, researchers examined the collected data and determined participants’ BMI and confirmed whether or not they engaged in catch-up sleep on the weekends (that is, sleeping more on the weekends than on weekday nights).
The study found those who spent more time praying to Saint Snoozy on the weekends had average BMIs of 22.8. (For an adult over age 20, a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered “normal.”)
And just in case your mom gives you a hard time about sleeping the day away, here’s another fun fact about sleeping late: The more catch-up sleep you get, the lower your BMI tends to be, with every additional hour decreasing your BMI by 0.12. (Again, we know that BMI doesn’t necessarily capture a person’s overall health, but for the sake of argument — take that, Mom!)
We’re going to sleep deeply tonight knowing this issue has been put bed. Good night, friends!
