Van Cauter decided to take this study one step further to see how much more food sleep-deprived individuals may eat as recompense for lost rest. This time, participants were allowed 8 hours of sleep for the first four nights, and 4 hours of sleep for the following four nights.
Again, physical activity was controlled, but individuals were given free rein of a food buffet daily. Researchers focused on the caloric intake of the food. On the days following restricted sleep time, participants were eating over 300 extra calories versus their consumption on the days where they achieved a full night’s rest.