I wonder if anyone has noticed this?
I took up this hobby last year and really lost a lot of sleep over it, literally, of course. I'd say that something around 70 nights from April to end of year, I was up very late, or had broken sleep to get up and make a meridian flip, etc.
At the end of the year we were finally able to travel and I visited my mum, who happened to be the only person that I know with a scale. So I weighed myself and was shocked that I was a good chunk heavier than I've ever been. I've never been one to put weight on accidentally/without knowing that I am throwing a lot of food into my face, and I didnt feel that 2020 was an especially bad year for eating.
I put it down to not exercising (see my goals for 2021 topic) but I related this to a friend who confirmed that poor sleep/lack of sleep does indeed inhibit metabolism. A quick google shows a LOT of evidence supporting this.
I make this post because it changes totally the trade off that I see in staying up for a night of astro action. Its not just "be a bit tired and grumpy the following day", it has a cumulative effect and that effect is a huge risk factor for lots and lots of bad health outcomes.
I dont really expect a response here, just throwing it out there as this never, ever occurred to me as I took up the hobby! Its not to say that a balance cant be struck, of course, and this year I'm going to try to find it
