"People are more likely to indulge in unhealthy foods that are high in fat or sugar when they haven't had enough sleep," says Thorsten Kahnt, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A recent study lead by Kahnt concluded that sleep deprivation impacts the same ‘odor processing neural path’ that smoking cannabis does.
The 25 study participants were divided into two groups, one of which was allowed 4 hours of sleep every night for a month and the second allowed 8 hours. Those getting less sleep partook more heavily in an array of unhealthy foods including doughnuts, cookies and potato chips than those allowed 8 hours of sleep.
Interestingly, those who slept fewer hours did not report indications of more appetite. However when they were provided a buffet meal they picked foods that had greater amounts of calories than the totally rested individuals. Brain scans of the sleep deprived group revealed that the region of the brain that processes smell experienced a heightened ability to identify food aromas. At the same time, the region of the brain that processes food intake and "fullness" was diminished. The tired people were more likely to give in to the smell of the high calories foods than just their mere presence.
The study authors theorize that sleep-deprived brains intentionally steer us toward high calorie foods as an evolutionary survival mechanism. In the past, whatever problem was causing the loss of sleep might also have made food harder to come by the next day.
So what does all this mean for us?
First, getting a full and restful night's sleep should be a part of our weight management plan. And just knowing that you are especially susceptible to the aroma of fatty, sugary foods when you are tired may help you to avoid consuming them.
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