A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that sleeping longer helps reduce your caloric intake.

The 80 participants in the research project were divided into two groups and assigned different sleep patterns. The group who slept for a longer number of hours consumed an average of 270 fewer calories than the control group.

Researchers selected participants between 21 and 40 years of age who slept less than six and a half hours nightly and were overweight. They were randomly divided into two groups. The control group was asked to maintain their normal sleep habits, while the second group was asked to increase their sleep to eight and a half hours.

After two weeks, the researchers measured the number of calories consumed by each group and found that the people who slept longer consumed fewer calories.

Sleep deprivation triggers the hunger hormone ghrelin, while getting adequate sleep activates the hormone leptin, which signals the body when it is full.