Pride yourself on getting by with just a few hours sleep, but find yourself battling the bulge?

Turns out, sleeping more may help you lose unwanted pounds.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, incorporating healthy sleep in to weight loss and weight maintenance programs could help people obtain a healthier weight.

In a controlled study, participants who slept up to 5 hours a night burned 5 percent more calories than those who slept up to 9 hours a night-but they consumed 6 percent more calories.

Bottom line: when people aren’t getting enough sleep, they eat during their biological nighttime when internal physiology is not designed to take in food.

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By: Roxanne Stein
Scripps Media, Inc