A recent study has shown yet another unexpected benefit of getting enough sleep. In a well designed research study, a convincing relationship was shown between high blood cholesterol and short duration of sleep.* Although prior studies have suggested this association, this was the first longitudinal study on this topic.

We’ve already seen research suggesting an increased risk for diabetes associated with not getting enough sleep. And there has been in recent years convincing evidence of the association between lack of sleep and difficulty in losing weight leading to obesity.This last association came as a surprise to me, as I always assumed that the longer one stayed awake at night, the more calories one used up, and thus, the more weight one lost. In fact, when I was in college, my roommate and I always had a goal  – which we thought easily attainable – for exam week: we would study nonstop, purposely limiting our sleep in order to do that, and thus at the end of the week we would be “smart and skinny.” Now I understand why we always seemed to get smart (in the topics we studied of course) and never skinny!

So, during this Holiday weekend and the rest of the Holiday season, while you’re focusing on eating, drinking, and partying in moderation, let yourself go in three areas – all of which will be good for your health: laughter, enjoyment and sleep.

*Gangwisch JE et al. Short sleep duration as a risk factor for hypercholesterolemia: Analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Sleep 2010 Jul 1; 33:956.