Lack of Sleep Renders Body Susceptible to Obesity

Can lack of sleep make you fat? University of Chicago (Illinois, USA) researchers suggest that inadequate sleep may be linked to obesity. Kristen Knutson and colleagues report that a lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure.  The team accumulated evidence from experimental and observational studies of sleep. Observational studies revealed cross-sectional associations between getting fewer than six hours sleep and increased body mass index (BMI) or obesity. The studies revealed how signals from the brain which control appetite regulation are impacted by experimental sleep restriction. Inadequate sleep impacts secretion of the signal hormones ghrelin, which increases appetite, and leptin, which indicates when the body is satiated. This can lead to increased food intake without the compensating energy expenditure.