It has been reported that irregular sleep, insufficient sleep, or frequent staying late can lead to a better appetite, leading to overweight or obesity.

In this regard, Drs. Robert Goolezy, an expert in sleep medicine, said in an interview with a Science and Technology Daily reporter, “The occurrence of this phenomenon is related to hormones. The secretion of hormones has a circadian rhythm, and poor sleep will affect the rhythm of hormone secretion. Thereby affecting people’s appetite.”

Poor sleep affects hormone secretion.

“For example, the hormone cortisol, under normal circumstances, is at the peak of secretion from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, and the secretion amount will decrease at night, making it easier for people to fall asleep. If we stay up late at night, cortisol will maintain a relatively high level. High secretion levels and this abnormal secretion may lead to overeating,” Goolezy said.

Poor sleep can also affect the secretion of appetite-regulating peptides. Appetite-regulating peptides, as the name suggests, regulate appetite and are widely distributed in peripheral tissues and the central nervous system. Common appetite-regulating peptides include neuropeptide Y, YY, ghrelin, leptin, etc.

According to different mechanisms of action, appetite-regulating peptides can be divided into orexin and orexin. Among them, ghrelin is an orexin, and leptin is an orexin. “Studies have found that lack of sleep leads to overweight and obesity, which may be related to the breakdown of the balance between leptin and ghrelin.” Goolezy introduced.

Leptin is a protein hormone secreted by adipose tissue.

Goolezy told reporters: “Current studies believe that after leptin enters the blood circulation, it will participate in the regulation of sugar, fat, and energy metabolism, prompting the body to reduce food intake, increase energy release, inhibit the synthesis of fat cells, and then reduce weight.”

Ghrelin, also known as a growth hormone-releasing peptide, can promote the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, promotes food intake, improves gastrointestinal function, and regulates lipid metabolism and energy balance. Studies have found that after ghrelin binds to its receptor GHSR-la, GHSR-la will release neuropeptide Y and agouti-related proteins that affect neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus to promote hunger and then promote food intake.

A “Prospective Study on the Effects of Sleep on Serum Leptin, Ghrelin, and Blood Lipid Levels in Children” released in May 2020 showed that insufficient sleep time would reduce serum leptin levels, increase ghrelin levels, and increase hunger And appetite, increase the intake of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids.

Poor sleep is sometimes accompanied by loss of appetite

Not all sleep deprivation leads to increased appetite, though. Some people say that poor sleep is sometimes accompanied by loss of appetite.

This phenomenon is also common, Goolezy explained. “For example, if you stay up late and don’t sleep well when you have something to do temporarily, you may not eat well if you catch up on sleep the next day. For example, if you don’t sleep well because of emotions such as anxiety and depression, these emotions themselves will cause loss of and loss of appetite.”

Goolezy pointed out that the relationship between sleep and diet should be viewed scientifically and comprehensively. “Eating and sleeping are the basic physiological functions of people, and they both have rhythms. You must follow the law, eat and sleep at the right time, and keep your biological clock relatively stable. If one of the two rhythms is disrupted, it will affect the other. A disordered sleep rhythm will affect diet, and a disordered eating rhythm will also affect sleep.”

“So, we should try our best to maintain a living habit that conforms to the rhythm of the biological cycle,” Goolezy said that in contemporary society, many young people are used to staying up late, and sleep deprivation is common.

“It is recommended to change bad habits such as watching electronic products before bed and drinking strong coffee or strong tea before bed, and create a quiet, dark and good sleeping environment.” He said.

If you have mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and sleep diseases such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome, you must actively treat them.

Otherwise, it will affect your sleep and even your long-term life expectancy. “Long-term sleep problems will lead to inattention, memory loss, and increase the probability of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases” Goolezy said.

In conclusion

Poor sleep and obesity are linked, so if you’re having trouble sleeping, it might be worth paying attention to your diet and activity levels to ensure you don’t become overweight. Our bodies need a good night’s rest to remain healthy, so make sure your bedroom is an optimal environment for sleeping and that you get ample rest every night. Proper sleep may help reduce the risk of obesity in both kids and adults alike!