Less Sleep Linked to Weight Gain?

Sleep is important for overall health, but how does sleep affect our weight and health markers like cholesterol and blood sugar? That's the subject of a new study out of the UK. In this study, researches used data from 1,615 participants that was collected as part of the UK's National Diet and Nutrition Survey. They analyzed this data to look for relationships between sleep duration and BMI, waist circumference, diet, blood lipids, blood sugar, hemoglobin A1C, thyroid hormones, and C-reactive protein. So what did these researchers find and how does it fit in with previous research about sleep and weight? More importantly, what does this research mean for us?

FULL STUDY: Longer sleep is associated with lower BMI and favorable metabolic profiles in UK adults: Findings from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey