Those who go to bed early tend to have healthier diets, according to a data published by Jawbone, the maker of popular wearable fitness trackers.
Those who hit the hay before 11 p.m. consume less alcohol, caffeine, refined sugar, and processed foods than those who go to sleep between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.
It's not clear from the data whether late nights are themselves contributing to poor food choices or whether those who have later schedules (or more flexible schedules) happen to have worse diets due to factors unrelated to their sleep patterns.
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Dr. Kirstin Aschbacher, a data scientist at Jawbone, nevertheless told the Huffington Post that going to bed earlier could "in theory" lead to a loss of 4-5 pounds in a year without any changes in physical activity.
But she later added that those who go to sleep earlier may just be more health-conscious overall, and therefore less likely to eat junk food.
Other studies have suggested that sleep deprivation leads to more eating. Not only might one consume more calories in search of energy, but an exhausted person is probably less up to the task of preparing a nutritious meal, and may be more likely to opt for fast food.
But going to bed late is not the same as not getting enough sleep, as any night shift worker will tell you. What the Jawbone study may indicate, however, is that those who go to bed late may often not be sleeping in quite enough to get a solid night of rest.
Jawbone is encouraging people to keep consistent sleeping schedules by trying to go to bed around the same time every night. And of course, they are selling their wearable trackers, which can alert users to their bed time, as a potential solution.
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