If you’re a frequent traveler, you know valuable sleep is on the road.

You also understand how tough it can be to get enough rest when you’re traveling.

Plus, you tend to eat less healthy food when you’re not at home.

In fact, some of us live on fast food when we’re rushing between cities.

There’s an important connection between the amount of sleep you get and what you eat.

A new University of Chicago research study reveals that road warriors, who are essentially sleep deprived, consume nearly 1,000 calories in snacks in the evening.

That’s compared to 600 calories in snacks on days when people get a full night’s sleep.

What’s worse, when we’re suffering from lack of sleep, we’re eating twice as much fat.

Insufficient sleep makes travelers hungrier.

The University of Chicago researchers also discovered that if you sleep less than six and a half hours a night on the road, your hotel room mini bar or hotel convenience store can easily become a problem.

So what’s the ideal amount of time for sleep? Seven and a half hours.

For more information about health and diet while you’re on the road, check out:

• How It’s Getting Easier to Find Healthy Food at Airports
• Tips for Stocking Your Hotel Mini Bar With Healthy Snacks
• Airplane Food: Forget Taste, Is It Bad For You?

Keep reading for more travel tips.