According to a small study (via The Body Odd), not getting enough ZZZs can make it harder for you (and me) to resist temptation. That makes sense. Whenever I'm tired at work, I end up drinking a coke and eating whatever candy I can find around my desk and/or the kitchen. I'm also more likely to eat junky food at lunch.
In this study, a small group of healthy adults had their brains scanned while shown images of low-caloried (salads, fruits, veggies, etc.) and high-caloried foods (cakes, burgers, fries, etc.), plus a few neutral pictures of rocks, trees, and flowers. They also completed questionnaires about the levels of drowsiness they felt during the day, their food likes/dislikes, and their eating habits.
Scientists found that "the sleepier you are, the less the prefrontal cortex -- the inhibitory area of the brain -- is activated when it's shown high-calorie foods." Meaning, you're less likely to stop yourself from eating an extra side of bacon or another slice of chocolate cake when you're sleepy. The participants were not chronically sleep-deprived; they had their usual tiredness from lacking an extra hour or two of sleep.
Of course, lack of sleep can lead to lots of other unhealthy behaviors too. For example, being cranky, driving unsafely, being unable to focus at work, etc. I'm sure you can think of a million other things just from experience. Maybe we should start prioritizing shut-eye time :)
21 comments:
Great post. I am always curious about these types of studies. Love your photos, but the fattening foods not so much lol
Really interesting post... it certainly makes you think about personal eating habits
that burger and fries looks yummy, even at 8:30 am. think I probably should take your advice, and get some more sleep.
that bed would make me dizzy!
Very interesting. I just heard about another study that said if you have trouble sleeping you are at higher risk for a heart attack.
makes total sense!
Great post and I love the pictures!
No wonder I always looking for sweets to eat all the time. Thanks for sharing this great tips :)
Hmm well I guess I will blame my want for some of those foods on pregnancy cravings because I get plenty of sleep (so far) :)
you mean if i sleep more I will lost wait? i must try that! lol
oh wait, let me try the calamari first!
According to this, I must be sleep deprived ALL the time!?! LOL Great article—thanks for sharing (except now I'm craving a hamburger and Diet Coke!)
Hi from promo frenzy...happy to be your newest follower. Interesting post...I'm always sleep-deprived as I have a 2 year old, & I have a sweet tooth. Apparently, that's not a good combination...lol!
Hope you follow me back:
http://scrapbookluv.blogspot.com
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Certainly very true for me!
Awesome post! Love your blog!
Great Post! It's so true. At night whenever I'm tired and working on a project, I get hungry, I eat then, fall asleep. All I need to do is go to bed in the first place instead of fighting sleep. Thanks!
Just started a diet again, those onion rings look yummy...maybe I should take a nap :)
Absolutely true :)The pics are so tempting ....
I love reading about things like this. I'm sure this is true because it happens to me all the time...I should go take a nap now...that...or eat french fries.
Interesting.
love your blog posts, the way you put it all together...
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