Why to be very hungry after a night without sleep?

Almost inevitable consequence of a White Night: a big hunger! This is explained by the game of hormones that regulate our food behavior, secreted by the brain, fat cells and the stomach.

After a night of insomnia, which has never found solace in a double dose of cream in his coffee? Who has never eaten throughout the day after a white night? This need to compensate for the lack of sleep with food is of interest to the researchers. They have even reproduced in order to observe it in direct.

They have therefore deprived of sleep half of their volunteers. Then, the next day, they have given $50 (about 45 €) to each and have dropped in a supermarket. Result: although all participants have taken, before entering, a solid breakfast, the basket of "owls" was 18% more heavy and contained in the final 9 per cent more calories than that of "sleepers"! This is therefore not a Print: sleep and eat, and these two physiological needs, a priori distinct are in reality linked. How? By the game of hormones.

The hormone of satiety rises when sleeping

Two in particular, related to food behavior. The leptin, manufactured by the adipocytes, is a signal of satiety. Normally, its rate increases after each meal and remains high during the night. In contrast, the ghrelin, synthesized by the stomach, is an indicator of hunger. Its level, low after the evening meal, increases during the course of the night. However, several studies show that sleep only four hours, two nights in a row, decreases of 20 per cent of the production of leptin and made up 30 per cent that of ghrelin. Consequence: hunger and appetite are sharpened.

The lack of sleep therefore amends the signals that our body sends to our brain, and gives him an inaccurate estimate of the State of its energy reserves. Where this need to eat which can be translated by an excess of 300 to 500 kilocalories per day, or about 20% of the ration of a normal adult! Long-term consequence? The obesity.

To deprive itself of sleep is going up to increase the risk of obesity

since a few years, epidemiologists find indeed that in the West the duration of sleep decreases, while obesity is progressing. According to data collected from 600 000 people, the prevalence of obesity would be increased by half in adults who sleep less than five hours per night and 89% among children below ten hours. And each hour of sleep in less would increase 9% the risk of obesity! Has meditate...