Each year, readers of Consumer Reports pose hundreds of questions. One common query: What’s the connection between sleep and weight?

There is some literature connecting too little sleep to weight gain. Studies suggest that it has to do with hormones called leptin and ghrelin that reside in your fat cells and gastrointestinal tract, respectively. Lack of sleep may decrease the level of leptin, which can block feelings of satiety and encourage you to eat more. And sleep deprivation increases ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite. Seven to 8 hours of restful sleep a night is ideal to eliminate that problem.

See what subscribers said about alternative therapies for sleep problems.