Wait, What? Sleeping With the Lights On Can Make You Gain 5kgs.

That’s right. According to a recent study, ladies who snooze with artificial lights on are at an increased risk of weight gain and obesity.  And no, it’s not just a few grams. It can be as much as…wait for it…5 KGS! This includes the light from the TV, night lights etc.

Published in the journal of JAMA Internal Medicine, titled, Association of Exposure to Artificial Light at Night While Sleeping With Risk of Obesity in Women, the cohort study involved 43,722 women, between 35 to 74 years of age, over a period of five years, analysing information on their sleeping habits as well as their body mass index (BMI). The sleeping habits were divided into four categories: no light, a nightlight in the room, light outside the room, and light or television in the room.

Women who fell in more than one of the above categories were classified to be at the highest level of exposure, while those who went to bed with no lights on were labelled as experiencing no artificial light exposure. The researchers concluded that women sleeping with the TV or a nightlight on in the room gained upto five kilograms or more, at least a 10% increase in there BMI, and at a higher risk of being overweight or obese, in comparison to those who used no artificial light. Also, these associations didn’t appear to be explained by sleep duration and quality or other factors influenced by poor sleep.

In short, sleeping habits were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of weight gain and obesity. Although the researchers suggest that further prospective or interventional studies are needed on the topic.