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Study Why lack of sleep makes us people hungry
People who do not sleep enough prefer fat, salty and sweet snacks to quench their cravings. This increases the risk of overweight and obesity. Scientists have now found that apparently a cannabis-like substance is responsible for the weakening self-control.
Lack of sleep endangers the health
That lack of sleep is unhealthy, has already been proven in numerous scientific studies. It not only causes constant fatigue and hypertension, but is in many cases even causes of diabetes and heart attacks. In addition, you can get fat through lack of sleep, because with too short sleep cravings for fatteners such as fat and sweet snacks sets. This has already been shown by previous studies. A new study has now shown why our self-control is weakening in this state. In the body, substances with a drug-like effect are released.
Why lack of sleep makes you fat Picture: by Lieres - fotolia Appetite for drug-like substances
Those who sleep little at night can not resist unhealthy foods. He eats more and runs the risk of becoming overweight. Why this is so, according to experts has to do with the hormones. Fatigue causes the ghrelin level to rise. This hormone increases the appetite. At the same time, the level of the satiety hormone leptin drops. However, researchers led by Erin Hanlon of the University of Chicago have now discovered that the appetite for chronic sleep deprivation is further affected. Endocannabinoids, the body's own cannabis-like substances, seem to play a role here.
Two-part sleep experiment
To get to the root of the cravings, 14 healthy adults were subjected to a two-part sleep experiment. They were initially allowed to spend four days at the clinical research center, were given a meal three times a day, and slept for about seven and a half hours, according to the Washington Post. The second also four-day stay was identical except for the amount of sleep. The subjects slept on average only 4.2 hours. During the test phases, the hormones ghrelin and leptin in the blood of the participants were regularly measured. The researchers also examined the blood for the body's own cannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), which docks in the body to the same receptors as the intoxicating ingredients of the cannabis plant.
Keep desire in check
As the scientists report in the journal "Sleep", the 2-AG-level was low in the low-lying study participants in the morning, shortly after noon he reached his peak and then declined again. But after only four hours of sleep the subjects had to get out of bed, 2-AG climbed more and reached its climax around 2 pm. The endocannabinoid level remained elevated until evening. The participants in the tired state felt more hungry. This impression was also confirmed experimentally in the further course. When the subjects were given a large bowl of free-range snacks two hours after lunch, the researchers were finding it difficult to restrain their cravings. They consumed almost twice as many calories as those in a well-rested state.
In sleep deprivation it is difficult to resist
That lack of sleep on the hips can beat, so it is not surprising. "We found that sleep deprivation enhances a signal that can increase the hedonistic aspect of food intake," Hanlon said. "If you have a Snickers and you have enough sleep, you can control your natural response." However, with sleep deprivation this is not so easy, then the ability to resist can be compromised. Somewhat problematic in the study is the low number of participants and the short investigation period. (Ad)