<p class="title">Spending an extra hour in bed each night may help reduce the intake of sugary foods and lead to a healthier diet, according to a study.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sleep is a modifiable risk factor for various conditions including obesity and cardio-metabolic disease, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, looked at the impact of increasing sleep hours on nutrient intake.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The researchers from King's College London in the UK found that extending sleep patterns resulted in a 10-gram reduction in reported intake of free sugars compared to baseline levels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They also noticed trends for reduced intake of total carbohydrates reported by the sleep extension group.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The fact that extending sleep led to a reduction in intake of free sugars suggests that a simple change in lifestyle may really help people to consume healthier diets," said Wendy Hall from King's College London.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 21 participants allocated to the sleep extension group undertook a 45-minute sleep consultation which aimed to extend their time in bed by up to 1.5 hours per night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A further 21 control group participants received no intervention in their sleep patterns.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Each participant in the sleep extension group received a list with a minimum of four appropriate sleep hygiene behaviours that were personalised to their lifestyle (such as avoiding caffeine before bedtime, establishing a relaxing routine and not going to bed too full or hungry) and a recommended bedtime.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For seven days following the consultation, participants kept sleep and estimated food diaries and a wrist-worn motion sensor measured exactly how long participants were asleep for, as well as time spent in bed before falling asleep.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As many as 86 per cent of those who received sleep advice increased time spent in bed and half increased their sleep duration (ranging from 52 minutes to nearly 90 minutes).</p>.<p class="bodytext">Three participants achieved a weekly average within the recommended seven to nine hours. There were no significant differences shown in the control group.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our results also suggest that increasing time in bed for an hour or so longer may lead to healthier food choices," said Haya Al Khatib from King's College London.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This further strengthens the link between short sleep and poorer quality diets that has already been observed by previous studies," Khatib said. </p>
<p class="title">Spending an extra hour in bed each night may help reduce the intake of sugary foods and lead to a healthier diet, according to a study.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sleep is a modifiable risk factor for various conditions including obesity and cardio-metabolic disease, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, looked at the impact of increasing sleep hours on nutrient intake.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The researchers from King's College London in the UK found that extending sleep patterns resulted in a 10-gram reduction in reported intake of free sugars compared to baseline levels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They also noticed trends for reduced intake of total carbohydrates reported by the sleep extension group.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The fact that extending sleep led to a reduction in intake of free sugars suggests that a simple change in lifestyle may really help people to consume healthier diets," said Wendy Hall from King's College London.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 21 participants allocated to the sleep extension group undertook a 45-minute sleep consultation which aimed to extend their time in bed by up to 1.5 hours per night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A further 21 control group participants received no intervention in their sleep patterns.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Each participant in the sleep extension group received a list with a minimum of four appropriate sleep hygiene behaviours that were personalised to their lifestyle (such as avoiding caffeine before bedtime, establishing a relaxing routine and not going to bed too full or hungry) and a recommended bedtime.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For seven days following the consultation, participants kept sleep and estimated food diaries and a wrist-worn motion sensor measured exactly how long participants were asleep for, as well as time spent in bed before falling asleep.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As many as 86 per cent of those who received sleep advice increased time spent in bed and half increased their sleep duration (ranging from 52 minutes to nearly 90 minutes).</p>.<p class="bodytext">Three participants achieved a weekly average within the recommended seven to nine hours. There were no significant differences shown in the control group.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our results also suggest that increasing time in bed for an hour or so longer may lead to healthier food choices," said Haya Al Khatib from King's College London.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This further strengthens the link between short sleep and poorer quality diets that has already been observed by previous studies," Khatib said. </p>