When people with obesity extend their time sleeping to recommended levels, they tend to consume fewer calories per day, a new US study suggests.

The study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine found obese adults who increased their sleeping time from less than six and a half hours of sleep to eight and a half hours consumed nearly 300 fewer calories per day than those who did not change their sleep habits.

“In people who are habitually sleep deprived, extending their sleep duration decreases their objectively measured caloric intake by approximately 270kcal/day, which would translate in clinically meaningful weight loss over time,” said researcher Dr Esra Tasali of the University of Chicago Sleep Research Center.

The randomised control trial included 80 adults, men and women aged 21 to 40, with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 and a mean habitual sleep duration of less than six and a half hours per night.