A new study has revealed that just one night of poor sleep is actually equivalent to six months on a high-fat diet, which further supports the importance of sleep in individuals.

Conducted by Dr. Josaine Broussard and colleagues from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the new study - published in Science Daily - found that the two seemingly opposing factors give the same result.

According to Lifehack:

"Well, it all has to do with our insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a type of hormone that helps keep our blood sugar levels from getting too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia)."

Kicker Daily News reports that the study showed that both one night of poor sleep and a high-fat diet lasting six months resulted in lowered insulin resistance, which basically means:

"It cannot produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar stable that may eventually lead to Type 2 diabetes, a disease where there is too much sugar in the blood and the body's insulin response doesn't function properly."

Several diseases and health conditions can come about from diabetes, including heart disease. Apparently, an individual will have more difficulty absorbing nutrients, digesting carbohydrates, and maintaining a healthy weight when the person is less sensitive to insulin.

The study findings were based on a canine model, aiming to find out if high-fat diets and sleep deprivation could similarly affect insulin activity.

The researchers measured insulin sensitivity in eight male dogs before and after they were on a high-fat diet spanning six months. The team then discovered that sleep deprived (for one night) dogs had a 33 percent decrease in insulin sensitivity.

On the other hand, the dogs had a 21 percent decrease after being on the high-fat diet. So while the two are equated with each other, the results actually show that sleep deprivation can be much worse to one's overall health.

To keep yourself healthy, put in as much as seven to nine hours - at least - of sleep every night.