Study Finds Link in Sleep Loss, Junk Food Cravings

BERKELEY, Calif.Losing sleep can make you more likely to crave junk foods rather than healthy foods, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications.

In the study, UC Berkeley researchers examined the brain regions that control food choices. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) they scanned the brains of 23 healthy young adults after a normal night's sleep, then repeated the processes after a sleepless night. Researchers measured brain activity as participants viewed a series of 80 food images that ranged from high-to low-calorie and healthy and unhealthy, and rated their desire for each of the items. Food choices presented included fruits and vegetables like strawberries, apple and carrots, and high calorie burgers, pizza and doughnuts. Results revealed that there was impaired activity in the sleep-deprived brain's frontal lobe, but increased activity in deeper brain centers that respond to rewards. Moreover, participants favored unhealthy snack and junk foods when they were sleep deprived.

This evidence supports a link between sleep loss and obesity. Other studies have linked poor sleeping habits to increased appetites. Results from the study show that sleep deprivation significantly decreased activity in appetitive evaluation regions within the brain during food desirability choices, combined with increased activity of the amygdala. This change in brain activity is further associated with an increase in the desire for weight gain promoting high-calorie foods following sleep deprivation.