Getting a good night’s sleep may help you stay slimmer, new research has indicated. A study has found that women who do not get much sleep – five or fewer hours per night – are at risk of major weight gain. It was found that light sleepers weighed more on average than those who slept for seven hours. Almost 70,000 women took part in the research, part of a major study in the US. Women were monitored for 16 years, keeping records of their weight and sleep patterns. Compared with the sound sleepers, women who slept no more than five hours a night were 32 per cent more likely to have major weight gain – defined as an increase of 33 pounds or more – during the course of the study. They were also 15 per cent more likely to become obese compared with women who slept seven hours. The findings on weight gain had nothing to do with light sleepers eating too much, or taking too little exercise. On average, women who slept five hours or less per night weighed 5.4 pounds more at the beginning of the study than those sleeping […]