Not sleeping enough makes you fat - KATV - Breaking News, Weather and Razorback Sports

(CNN) - Even your fat cells need sleep.

A new study finds that not getting enough sleep can harm them, leading to serious health problems.

University of Chicago researchers collected abdominal fat tissue from seven healthy young men and women after testing them for several days and nights in a sleep lab. They discovered sleep deprivation reduces the ability of fat cells to respond to the hormone insulin, which is crucial for regulating energy storage and use.

Over time, this could lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and other problems.

The study is reportedly the first to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on fat cells in humans. You can find it in the "Annals of Internal Medicine."