Women who sleep poorly tend to overeat and consume a lower-quality diet, according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The findings provide new insight into how poor sleep quality can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity and points to possible interventions for improving women’s heart health.
Previous studies have shown that people who get less sleep are more likely to develop obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease- and that the relationship may be partially explained by diet. But these studies were narrowly focused on specific foods or nutrients (i.e., fish, sweets, or saturated fat) or only measured sleep duration, not sleep quality.