The hormones that regulate hunger and sleep are connected. They help to ensure that we are alert and hungry in the daytime when we can forage for food, and not hungry and sleepy at night so our bodies can rest. When we are hungry it is hard to sleep, but after a large meal we tend to want to take a nap. In animal studies, the more energy in the meal, the longer the duration of sleepiness after the meal.
A part of the brain just above the hypothalamus regulates our cycles of sleep and wakefulness. This area of the brain has connections with the hunger centers in our hypothalamus. If this area of the brain is damaged in rats, they lose coordination of both sleep patterns and eating patterns and start to overeat and become obese. When we don’t get enough sleep we have less secretion of leptin and thyroid hormone and more release of ghrelin and cortisol, which makes us feel hungrier and slows down our metabolic rate. Lack of adequate sleep tends to especially increase our hunger for carbohydrates, as though our sleep-deprived brains are especially craving their primary fuel, which is glucose.
Several studies have found that in the last few decades adults have decreased the hours they sleep each day from about nine hours to just over seven hours. Total hours of sleep in children also decreased between 1974 and 1993 because they still get up early in the morning, but they tend to stay up later at night.
For children and adults, the fewer hours we sleep per night, the more likely we are to be overweight. This is especially true in children. And if you are dieting to lose weight and don’t get enough sleep, you will tend to lose more muscle and less fat than if you follow the same diet while getting enough sleep.
If you already have poor sleep, or are always very sleepy in the daytime even though you spend at least eight hours a night trying to sleep, see your doctor. For the rest of us, practice good sleep habits such as avoiding reading or watching television in bed. Go to bed and wake at a consistent time, allowing at least seven to eight hours for uninterrupted sleep for adults, nine hours for adolescents and even more hours for younger children. If you frequently crave carbohydrates, you should particularly ensure that you have enough sleep.
A part of the brain just above the hypothalamus regulates our cycles of sleep and wakefulness. This area of the brain has connections with the hunger centers in our hypothalamus. If this area of the brain is damaged in rats, they lose coordination of both sleep patterns and eating patterns and start to overeat and become obese. When we don’t get enough sleep we have less secretion of leptin and thyroid hormone and more release of ghrelin and cortisol, which makes us feel hungrier and slows down our metabolic rate. Lack of adequate sleep tends to especially increase our hunger for carbohydrates, as though our sleep-deprived brains are especially craving their primary fuel, which is glucose.
Several studies have found that in the last few decades adults have decreased the hours they sleep each day from about nine hours to just over seven hours. Total hours of sleep in children also decreased between 1974 and 1993 because they still get up early in the morning, but they tend to stay up later at night.
For children and adults, the fewer hours we sleep per night, the more likely we are to be overweight. This is especially true in children. And if you are dieting to lose weight and don’t get enough sleep, you will tend to lose more muscle and less fat than if you follow the same diet while getting enough sleep.
If you already have poor sleep, or are always very sleepy in the daytime even though you spend at least eight hours a night trying to sleep, see your doctor. For the rest of us, practice good sleep habits such as avoiding reading or watching television in bed. Go to bed and wake at a consistent time, allowing at least seven to eight hours for uninterrupted sleep for adults, nine hours for adolescents and even more hours for younger children. If you frequently crave carbohydrates, you should particularly ensure that you have enough sleep.