According to the CDC, a third of adults don’t get a good night’s rest regularly. Not getting that sleep is linked with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including Type II Diabetes (T2D), heart disease, obesity, and depression. And I think we all know that when we don’t get the rest we need, we are not at our best; in fact, we can become downright cranky, and make poor decisions. I can vouch that as I become more lethargic and worn down, the broccoli does NOT look as good as that cookie! You can see where I’m going with this…
In 2012 there was a study done to find out if there was a connection between lack of sleep and junk food cravings. Some of their findings included that sleep deprivation stimulated appetite, and hence food intake. The sleep deprived reported increased hunger, and their brains showed heightened responses to images of food; in fact, the longer the sleep deprivations, the greater the reward responses in anticipation of foods. To conclude, tired humans crave more food stimuli of higher calorie foods.
As we watch the obesity statistics increase in the US, I can’t help but wonder how much of it could be tied to the fact that we don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis. What wonders could be cured if only we could wind down before bedtime and embrace the peace and recovery of slumber.
In 2019 there was a study done to find out if our olfactory circuits impacts our relationship to sleep and hunger. In other words, is our sense of smell partly to blame for this sleep deprivation hunger and reward response to higher calorie foods. How does our sense of smell get tied into this? When we are sleep deprived, our sense of smell goes into overdrive to help us identify foods. Our brain depends upon our smell to take us to more energy-dense options (more calories/gram).
So I’ll take the reverse of the study results here… If we desire to make healthier food choices, we MUST get the rest our bodies need. In this way, rest is key to maintaining body weight and distancing ourselves from chronic disease.
