It is well established that chronic exhaustion is associated with weight gain and higher stress levels in children and adults, and a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism tells us why.
Getting pleasure out of eating seems like a reasonable source of enjoyment, but it appears that lack of sleep makes us oversensitive to rewarding, pleasurable food.
The study compared brain activity in response to food images in individuals who were either sleep deprived or rested. Participants were normal-weight men who participated in two trials. First, they were kept up all night and completely deprived of sleep. In the morning, MRI brain scans were performed to identify what part of the brain responded to pictures of low- and high-calorie foods. In the second trial, participants had a normal night’s sleep and performed the same brain scan and food picture ratings.
When sleep deprived, participants had significantly greater activation in the right frontal brain cortex in response to food images than when they were rested. They also reported significantly greater hunger than when they had slept and preferred high-calorie foods to a greater degree. Researchers suggest this is because high-calorie foods are seen as a reward, and being tired leads to a greater “reward response in anticipation of food.”
We feel low energy and unwell when we are exhausted. "Unhealthy", particularly foods high in sugar, fats, and salts, foods are more appealing to “ease the pain.”
When rested, our appetites respond to the need to eat to sustain energy levels rather than as a pleasurable or rewarding experiences.
The solution to avoid this eating trap? Get enough sleep!
Be aware of how your eating habits respond to being tired and ensure that you have a set time to go to bed every night, even on weekends.
A previous study showed that individuals with an early recurrent bedtime (going to bed at 8 or 9 pm rather than 11 or 12 pm) ate fewer total calories daily and had a better macro-nutrient profile.
Take note that early-to-bed/early-to-rise sleep habits are linked to a better body composition in adolescents too. Using food as a reward or for pleasure when tired may be a behavior that is conditioned from childhood, putting individuals who lack sleep and go to bed late at greater risk for obesity and problems with diet throughout life.
References
Christian Benedict, Samantha J. Brooks, Owen G. O'Daly, Markus S. Almèn, Arvid Morell, Karin Åberg, Malin Gingnell, Bernd Schultes, Manfred Hallschmid, Jan-Erik Broman, Elna-Marie Larsson, Helgi B. Schiöth, Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances the Brain's Response to Hedonic Food Stimuli: An fMRI Study,The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 97, Issue 3, 1 March 2012, Pages E443–E447,https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2011-2759
Comments