Family Life

10.05.10 | FL News Team

(New York, NY)  --  Dieters can still shed unwanted pounds without getting enough sleep, but it may not be fat they're losing.  Researchers at the University of Chicago tracked the sleep habits of a small group of people trying to lose weight.  They found overall dieters still lost the same amount of weight regardless of the number of hours they slept.  However, those getting a good night's rest lost fat, whereas those not getting enough sleep lost muscle.

The study only looked at short-term weight loss.  Researchers say more still needs to be done to find out how sleep duration may affect a dieter over time.  The findings were published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine."  A number of other studies have found people getting less than six hours of sleep at night tend to weigh more and gain more weight over time than those who get more rest.