Is Lack Of Sleep Giving You The Munchies?

So many things in our life make getting a good night’s sleep incredibly difficult. Between our televisions, smart phones, and overly lit neighbourhoods, it can be nearly impossible to unplug and recharge. If you head to work each day feeling exhausted after a night of restless sleep, you are far from alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that one third of Americans are not getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep wreaks havoc on your hormones and cause a whole host of health related problems. It gets worse. The results of a new study have found that a lack of sleep may be seriously impacting your weight loss efforts in a way you never imagined.

It appears that a lack of sleep has the same impact on your brain as smoking marijuana, according to research from the University of Chicago. The authors of the study intensively reviewed various and controlled eating habits of fourteen 20-something-year-old men and women and found that those who had a few nights of poor sleep ate an average of over 300 calories more per day than those who slept well (help keep your diet on track with the 30 day BodyRock Meal Plan). The sleep deprived subjects found themselves craving sugary, processed, high calorie snacks like chips, or candy bars — you know, the kind of stuff you want to eat just after you’ve smoked a joint.

Is Lack Of Sleep Giving You The Munchies? Click To Tweet

“We know that marijuana activates the endocannabinoid system and causes people to overeat when they are not hungry, and they normally eat yummy sweet and fatty foods. Sleep restriction may cause overeating by acting in the same manner,” lead study author Erin Hanlon, explains.

When considering these results, it is important to remember that more research is needed as this was an incredibly small study. But the size of this study doesn’t change the fact that we already know that getting between 6.5 and 8 hours of sleep a night is essential for a happy, healthy body. Until that extra research is done, you still might want to think twice about skipping your beauty sleep! Besides, when you really think about it, is there anything better than a good sleep?

What do you think of this study? Do these findings seem plausible to you?

Source: Shape

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