How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Appetite?

Author: Victoria Aly Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

In this article, learn more about How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Appetite?. If you do not get enough sleep, eat more food and in larger quantities..

Getting too little sleep can affect your appetite and especially your intake of certain foods.

The study tested men who slept for 8 hours and those who did not sleep, the researchers measured appetite and in particular the levels of ghrelin , a hunger hormone. The results showed that after stabbing at night, ghrelin levels were higher than with enough sleep. Also, after not getting enough sleep, men chose larger portions of food.

Researchers claim that sleep deprivation can affect appetite in two ways. In the first way, people consume more food to compensate for sleep deprivation and lack of energy . Second, lack of sleep increases the brain's sensitivity to larger portions of foods and high-calorie foods.

In addition, people who do not get enough sleep tend to be less physically active during the day, and this also contributes to greater appetite and therefore more weight.

In addition to the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, there is another hormone that suppresses appetite - leptin . Sleep deprivation can change the levels of the latter. For example, if sleep is limited to 4 hours a night, leptin levels fall and ghrelin levels rise. It is also believed that after sleep deprivation, ghrelin levels are higher in men than in women. Therefore, scientists conclude that short-term sleep causes increased appetite in men.

Children and teenagers can also have a similar problem if they suffer from sleep deprivation. Studies show that sleep deprivation is associated with being overweight. This is one of the main reasons they eat unhealthy foods high in calories . In adults, insufficient sleep can cause other serious problems such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer.

There is no guarantee that most hours of sleep will reduce appetite, but its lack definitely stimulates hunger, the researchers commented. It is also important that sleep is at least 7 hours, but also sufficiently complete. It is believed that the best sleep is from 22:00 in the evening to 7: 00-8: 00 in the morning.

How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Appetite?

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