Apparently it is indeed true that if you snooze, you lose. The thing is, that's now become a positive expression rather than a negative one as recent research is showing that a critical component of weight control may be sleep.

While no one is suggesting sleep is replacing exercise and healthy diet as the best ways to stay slim, a recent study is showing that insufficient sleep can essentially promote bad eating habits, causing weight gain in many people.

The study, conducted by Sleep, Metabolism and Health Center at the University of Chicago, claims that lack of sleep can indeed to lead to problems with weight control.

"There is no doubt that insufficient sleep promotes hunger and appetite, which can cause excessive food intake resulting in weight gain," explains Eve Van Cauter, director of the Sleep, Metabolism and Health Center at the University of Chicago. "Our body is not wired for sleep deprivation. The human is the only mammal that does this."

The research being conducted by Cauter and others is illustrating why people in certain circumstances and occupations, such as late night shift workers, college students and new parents,  are more prone to weight gain than others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also complied data on the effects of sleep deprivation, calling lack of sleep a public health epidemic. Its data shows that 28 percent of U.S. adults report sleeping six hours or less each night. The CDC adds that sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of a long list of serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, obesity, depression and high blood pressure. It also points out that even a minor sleeping issue can lead to a reduced quality of life and lower productivity levels.

"Sleep is so critical to good health that it should be thought of as one of the components of a three-legged stool of wellness: nutrition, exercise and sleep," added Safwan Badr, a sleep expert with Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University. "The three are synergistic," he says. "It's hard to lose weight if you are sleep deprived. It's hard to eat healthy if you are sleep deprived. It is hard to exercise if you're tired."

So, if you're nodding off while reading this, it's probably not a good thing. Time to turn the light out and go to bed, will ya.