Night owls are likely to eat more calories

Put down the midnight snack and get some sleep.  A recent study found that people who stay up late tend to eat more food and make worse dietary choices, suggesting there is a sleep-weight connection. 

Scientists at Northwestern University studied the sleep and dietary patterns of 52 adult participants.  The participants were classified as late sleepers if their midpoint of sleep occurred after 5:30 am.  About half of the participants fit this classification.  Late sleepers went to bed later and got less sleep than the participants who were classified as normal sleepers.  

Late sleepers also differed from normal sleepers by their eating habits.  They made worse dietary choices than normal sleepers- eating more high-calorie foods and less fruits and vegetables, and consuming more calories at dinner and after 8pm.  Late sleepers consumed an average of 248 more calories per day than normal sleepers.  This leads to adverse health effects, such as weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI).

It is important to maintain a healthy sleep schedule, which means going to bed at an appropriate time, keeping a regular bedtime, and getting enough sleep.  This keeps our circadian rhythm is in sync and our metabolic and physiological systems keep running smoothly.