Stress of one bad night's sleep can make you fat, say scientists
LACK of sleep will not just leave you moody and irritable – it can also make you fat.
Lack of sleep will not just leave you moody and irritable – it can also make you fat
Scientists say a lack of shut-eye can raise food cravings and stress, while lowering metabolism and energy.
The risk of piling on pounds comes from higher levels of appetite-increasing brain chemicals and hunger hormones we produce after a bad sleep.
Sleep deprivation due to a busy schedule can also make us enjoy food more and respond badly to exercise, claim the researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden.
Dr Christian Benedict said: “Since perturbed sleep is such a common feature of modern life, these studies show it is no surprise that metabolic disorders, such as obesity are also on the rise. The results suggest sleep loss favours weight gain in humans.
“So it may also be concluded that improving sleep could be a promising intervention to reduce weight gain.”
The risk of piling on pounds comes from higher levels of appetite-increasing brain chemicals
Tips on how to lose weight while sleeping
Just one bad night’s sleep slowed energy metabolisms and sent blood sugar soaring
Dr Benedict subjected students to various sleep patterns, with some getting the standard eight hours and others being kept awake for days.
Just one bad night’s sleep slowed energy metabolisms and sent blood sugar soaring, in the research presented at Lisbon’s European Congress of Endocrinology.
Previous studies have seen participants only allowed five hours a night gain two pounds in a week because of more regular snacking