Another reason to make sure you're getting enough sleep, according to new research.

Another reason to make sure you're getting enough sleep, according to new research.

• We all know that getting enough sleep is important for feeling refreshed throughout the day, but a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that it also has a significant influence on calorie intake and, as a result, fat buildup. Here's what the researchers discovered.

Another reason to make sure you're getting enough sleep, according to new research.

The effects of sleep on weight are being investigated.

Researchers intended to investigate how sleeping habits impacted variables like calorie intake, hunger, weight, fat distribution (i.e., body composition), and more for this short study. The participants were a group of 12 healthy, young to middle-aged people, and the research was conducted over two 21-day periods separated by three months.

One group served as the control, sleeping nine hours per night on average, while the other group only slept four hours per night for the bulk of the 21 days. The groups were switched after the first session and the three-month recovery period, so the original control group had to contend with a shorter night's sleep.

Metrics were collected during the trial and subsequently to assess any behavioral or physical changes that occurred throughout the course of the investigation.

What they discovered.

According to the results, not only can inadequate sleep duration make you weary, but it may also increase calorie intake and contribute to the accumulation of visceral fat. When individuals did not receive enough sleep, their abdomen visceral fat increased by 11%, and we know that less visceral belly fat is related to improved cardiometabolic health outcomes in the long run.

"Our findings show that shortened sleep is associated with an increase in calorie intake, a very small increase in weight, and a significant increase in fat accumulation inside the belly, even in young, healthy, and relatively lean subjects," study co-author Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D., says in a news release.

He goes on to say that it seems that a lack of sleep leads fat to "redirect" to the visceral compartment, and that "catch-up sleep, at least in the near term, does not alter visceral fat accumulation."

And though the patients didn't gain much weight but did have more visceral fat, the research authors point out that this kind of fat growth may easily go unnoticed.

The main point.

The bottom line is that when we don't get enough sleep, everything from our mood to our conduct suffers as a result. Better sleep generally leads to greater decisions, and according to this research, it also leads to a better capacity to store fat in a healthy manner. All the more reason to practice good sleep hygiene, take a sleep supplement if necessary, and strive for a full night's sleep every night.

Consult your doctor before beginning a supplement regimen if you are pregnant, nursing, or using medicines. When deciding which supplements are ideal for you, it is always best to talk with a health care expert.