There are many studies that prove that sleep deprivation can impact your weight, but a new study from Brigham Young University found that falling asleep and waking up at the same time can also affect body fat.

Exercise science professor Bruce Bailey studied more than 300 women between the age of 17 and 26 for several weeks and found that those with the best sleeping habits had a healthier weight.

The main findings from the study, published online in the American Journal of Health Promotion, are:

- Sleeping and waking up at the same time is linked to a lower percentage of body fat.

- Less than 6.5 hours of sleep or more than 8.5 hours of sleep leads to a higher percentage of body fat.

- The quality of sleep is also especially important.

Study participants who go to bed and wake up at the same time each day have lower body fat levels. Those with more than 90 minutes of variation in bedtime and waking time have higher body fat levels than those with less than 60 minutes of variation.

Bailey and his team also found that those who slept between 8 and 8.5 hours per night had the lowest body fat.

Sleep quality has also been proven to be highly connected to body fat. Those who had better sleep quality had lower body fat. To improve the quality of sleep, Bailey recommends exercise and sleeping in a quiet and dark room with low temperature.

References:

Bruce W. Bailey, Matthew D. Allen, James D. LeCheminant, Larry A. Tucker, William K. Errico, William F. Christensen, Marshall D. Hill. Objectively Measured Sleep Patterns in Young Adult Women and the Relationship to Adiposity. American Journal of Health Promotion, 2013; 131107080257006 DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.121012-QUAN-500