Freshman Fifteen May Be From Late Night and Early Mornings

Freshman fifteen may be caused by the late nights and early mornings that make up the average college students life. A recent article by CNN says that those who get four hours of sleep a night eat more calories on average then their eight hour sleeping counterparts. The article talked about how this new finding might explain the correlation between those who get low amounts of sleep and being overweight.

A study done by the American Heart Association was presented Wednesday, said CNN. The study included 13 male and 13 female volunteers who all are at normal weights and are healthy sleepers. Each volunteer spent two six-day periods where they could sleep up to nine hours in the first period and four in the second period. They weren’t allowed to leave or take a nap.

The studies first four days consisted of a fixed diet of cereal for breakfast and frozen entrees for lunch and dinner. Then for the last two days of the study, they could pick whatever food they wanted.

The article says that they consumed more calories and gravitated to high-protein, high-fat foods when they were deprived of sleep. St. Onge said the sleep-deprived volunteers may have been looking for quick sources of energy but also the lack of sleep might impaired their ability to make wise food choices.