Contents:
- Medical Video: What Happens To Your Body And Brain If You Don't Get Sleep | The Human Body
- Where does appetite come from?
- Why can sleep deprivation keep you hungry?
- Lack of sleep makes you crave unhealthy food
Medical Video: What Happens To Your Body And Brain If You Don't Get Sleep | The Human Body
After staying up all night, the next day you might feel weak, not energetic, want to snacking, or hungry constantly. You really have to be careful if you lack sleep. In addition to the body not resting enough, it turns out that lack of sleep can also make you hungry all day long. If allowed to continue, without realizing it you might experience being overweight. Check out the following review to find out what is the connection between lack of sleep and increased appetite.
Where does appetite come from?
Your appetite is regulated by two types of hormones in your body. The first hormone, ghrelin, triggers your appetite so you feel hungry and finally eat. Meanwhile, the second hormone, leptin, will suppress appetite. You also don't feel appetite when looking at food.
Under ideal conditions, these two hormones will work in balance. The brain will produce one of the hormones the body needs and stop the production of hormones that are not needed. For example, if your nutritional needs are met, the brain will order the body to produce the hormone leptin. You also feel full.
Why can sleep deprivation keep you hungry?
Sleep deprivation will affect the functioning of your brain. When you sleep less than 5 hours a day, a part of the brain system is called endocannabinoid will become more active.
According to Dr. Erin Hanlon, a metabolic expert from the University of Chicago, United States of the brain reaction that arises if you lack sleep is similar to people who consume marijuana. Chemicals from marijuana will activate endocannabinoid and release the hormone ghrelin. As a result, your appetite increases even though your nutritional needs are sufficient.
National Sleep Foundation spokesman and Head of Lynn Health Science Institute in the United States, Dr. William Orr also supports the theory. According to his observations, people who slept less than 5 hours showed the level of the hormone ghrelin increased while the hormone leptin was reduced quite dramatically. You also feel hungry even though you have eaten as usual.
Lack of sleep makes you crave unhealthy food
If you lack sleep, you won't just feel hungry. You probably will cravings foods that are high in fat and calories. According to research presented at the American Heart Association conference in 2011, lack of sleep makes you lose about 70 calories.
When you wake up, the brain commands your body to increase calorie intake through fatty foods. However, because the hormones that regulate your appetite are no longer balanced, you don't feel full even though you keep eating foods or snacks that are high in fat and calories. Excess levels of fat and calories in the body can lead to various serious diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
