The Sleep Habit That’s Making You Eat 50% More Calories Per Day

We all know the signs that snack o' clock is looming. Concentration wanes, the tummy starts to rumble, and suddenly your mind is wandering to the packet of hob nobs. Late afternoon/early evening is most certainly munchie time, but the types of foods you reach for and subsequently the calories you take in, has a LOT to do with last night's sleep. We all knew that eight hours sleep is recommended for optimal functioning, but what we didn't know was just how strong the effects of sleep deprivation were on our diets. Going to bed too late and not getting enough sleep causes our bodies to produce a cannabis-like hormone, which makes it much harder to resist fatty foods and actually increases our pleasure when eating - literally mimicking the feeling of marijuana munchies. According to Mail Online, sleep tests showed that those who were deprived were more likely to eat "highly palatable, rewarding snacks" high in fat, sugar and salt.

Erin Hanlon, a Chicago University researcher in metabolism, said:

"We found sleep restriction boosts a signal that may increase the hedonic aspect of food intake, the pleasure and satisfaction gained from eating.

"Sleep restriction seems to augment the endocannabinoid system, the same system targeted by the active ingredient of marijuana, to enhance the desire for food intake.

"Over time, that can cause significant weight gain."

So there you go, yet another good reason to catch some z's.