A new study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggests that sleep deprivation could lead to increased food consumption for some people. According to lead researcher, Dr. Andrew Calvin, those who skimp on sleep could be likely to consume over 500 extra calories a day.
For the study Calvin and his team examined 17 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 40. The participants were split into two separate groups, the first of which slept a normal amount for eight nights while the second slept for only two-thirds of their normal sleep time.
They found that those in the latter group, on average, consumed 550 more calories per day.
The data sheds new light on previous studies that examined how two key hormones called leptin and ghlerin increase or decrease the sensation of hunger during sleep deprivation. "How much people eat is a complicated thing, probably governed by many different factors," Calvin explains to WebMD. "The assumption that it's governed by these two hormones is simplistic. We were kind of hoping that this would be true . . . we could then do something about them to try and treat obesity, but that wasn't the case."
Dr. Calvin and company found the these hormonal swings were likely caused by overeating rather than causing increased or decreased hunger.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.