【Global Times reporter Luc】A new study found that the relationship between sleep deprivation and overeating is a vicious cycle. The BBC reported on the 26th that Walker, director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California in the United States, said: “When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain and body will make you eat too much and become fatter.”
Walker said that the longer we are awake, the more energy is required, and we eat two to three times the normal number of calories. Walker further explained it with evolutionary theory: Animals rarely lack sleep unless hunger requires them to stay awake in search of food. So when sleep is deficient, the brain thinks we’re hungry and increases our food cravings, driving us to eat more. This is also the reason why most people who work the night shift always want to have a late-night snack.
Our bodies follow a 24-hour rhythm, says Bonham, an associate professor of nutrition at Monash University in Melbourne. “When you’re on a night shift, everything you do is going against your body’s expectations.” Bonham That said, eating at night can lead to higher blood sugar levels and higher blood lipid levels because the body is less able to break down and metabolize substances in the early hours of the morning. Experts recommend that people who regularly work night shifts should eat as little as 600 calories in a 24-hour period two days a week.
Source: Global Times