A strong desire to eat may result from a lack of sleep

A new study has found a connection between lack of sleep and the desire for fast food, and suggests that tired people watch faster food than those who are not. In fact, this study says that even one night without sleep leads people to view fast foods as more desirable. The study was recently conducted by scientists at the University of Culny and was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Professor Jan Peters, a coauthor of the study, told the Guardian” that the data collected from the study brings it closer to understanding the mechanism for sleep deprivation changes its appreciation for food.

The study was conducted with 32 participants. Participants fed on the same foods, but they were divided into two different groups (those sleeping well and sleepless) and monitored through sleep tracking devices, blood sugar tests, hormone tests, FMRI scans and interviews to determine how they felt about food. The results showed that regardless of the group, participants felt similar levels of hunger in the morning and had similar levels of hormones and sugar in the blood.

However, sleep deprived participants were willing to pay more for a tasty but unhealthy meal than for them to rest. The sleep deprived group also had higher levels of des-acyl in their blood, a substance associated with the hunger hormone. Study showed that a bad night's sleep can increase your cravings for unhealthy food