Eating Less Late at Night Causes You to Feel Less Sleep Deprived

First Posted: Jun 05, 2015 08:12 AM EDT

How do you avoid feeling sleep deprived? Avoid eating less late at night. Scientists have discovered eating less late at night may help curb the concentration and alertness deficits that accompany sleep deprivation.

"Adults consume approximately 500 additional calories during late-night hours when they are sleep restricted," said David F. Dinges, the study's senior author, in a news release. "Our research found that refraining from late-night calories helps prevent some of the decline those individuals may otherwise experience in neurobehavioral performance during sleep restriction."

In this latest study, the researchers gave 44 volunteers unlimited access to food and drink during the day, followed by only four hours of sleep each night for three nights. On the fourth night, 20 participants received continued access to food and drinks. The 24 others, though, were only allowed to consume water from 10 p.m. until they went to sleep at 4 a.m.

At 2 a.m. each night, all of the volunteers completed a variety of tests to measure their working memory, cognitive skills, sleepiness, stress level and mood. The researchers found that those who fasted actually performed better on reaction time and attention lapses that volunteers who had eaten during those late-night hours. In addition, volunteers who ate showed significantly slower reaction times and more attention lapses on the fourth night of sleep restriction compared to the first three nights. Those who fasted, though, did not show this performance decline.

While it's important to receive a healthy night's sleep, restricting eating habits after a certain time could aid in wakefulness and better performance. These findings also serve as a point of research for the links between eating and sleep deprivation.

People Who Sleep Less May Eat More

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TagsSleep, Poor Sleep, Undersleeping, Eating, Food