Workaholics take heed: a recent study suggests that missing out on sleep may make high-calorie and fatty foods harder to resist during the daytime[1]. No wonder glazed doughnuts sing that siren song every morning…
Junk Food Goggles – Analysis
In the study, researchers presented 12 healthy adults, ages 19 to 45, with photographs of low- and high-calorie foods over a four-minute period. Researchers found that faced with images of strawberry cheesecake, French fries, and other enticing eats, sleepier subjects exhibited lower activity in the prefrontal cortex— the inhibitory area of the brain[2]. Hence, why the junk food guard comes tumbling down.
But do troubling food choices occur at sluggish or straight-up comatose states? In this study, participants weren’t chronically sleep-deprived. Instead, they displayed the usual tiredness that comes with staying up an hour or two past their bedtime. But this all-too-common behavior, data shows, can lessen inhibitory control enough to make it hard to say no to that extra cookie or slice of pie[3].
Slacking on sleep, of course, can wreak havoc on more that just the scale, studies show, including increased likelihood of anxiety disorders, skewed judgment when assessing risk, as well as hindered learning ability and productivity[4][5]. Maybe turning in early is worth the effort after all.
TL;DR
A study suggests that lack of shut-eye makes fatty foods harder to resist.
Further Resources
Mayo Clinic – How Many Hours of Sleep Are Enough for Good Health
Mayo Clinic breaks down the optimal hours of ZZZ’s for every age group.
The New York Times – At Every Age, Feeling the Effects of Too Little Sleep
The New York Times explores the adverse effects of sleep deprivation.
NPR – Overeating, Like Drug Use, Rewards and Alters the Brain
Can foods really be addictive? NPR discusses new studies on the food-drug link.
CSPI – 10 Best and Worst Foods for You
The Center for Science in the Public Interest ranks some of the best and worst foods out there.
- Sleepiness May Impair the Brain’s Inhibitory Control When Viewing High-Calorie Foods. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Killgore, W., Weiner, M., Schwab, Z. June 13, 2011. [↩]
- Sleepiness May Impair the Brain’s Inhibitory Control When Viewing High-Calorie Foods. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Killgore, W., Weiner, M., Schwab, Z. June 13, 2011. [↩]
- Sleepiness May Impair the Brain’s Inhibitory Control When Viewing High-Calorie Foods. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Killgore, W., Weiner, M., Schwab, Z. June 13, 2011. [↩]
- Overnight Therapy? The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Processing. Els van der Helm, Walker, MP. Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California. Psychological Bulletin 2009 Sept; 135(5): 731–748. [↩]
- Wake deterioration and sleep restoration of human learning. Mander, BA., Santhanam, S., Saletin, et al. Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California. Current Biology 2011 Mar 8; 21(5):R183-4. [↩]
