By SAND Member: Kassi Simpson
We all know how school gets around this time of year. Classes start picking up, projects are due and midterms begin. With everything piling up on your plate, you may be tempted to skip out on sleep to get your work done. As great as this may sound in the moment, research has proven that it will not benefit your health in the future.
Recent research presented at this year’s FNCE in Nashville, Tennessee, concluded that the less sleep one gets, the greater chances are that they’ll weigh more. Registered dietician Devon Golem from New Mexico State University explained that getting less than the recommended amount of sleep disrupts hormonal balance. Two major hormones that are impacted are Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin suppresses food intake and stimulates energy expenditure, while ghrelin stimulates appetite, fat production and body growth. Sleep deprived adults are shown to have decreased levels of leptin and increased levels of ghrelin, therefore directly correlating sleep deprivation with increased appetite and higher body mass index.
However, hormones aren’t the only aspect directly correlating sleep deprivation with obesity! For instance, sleep deprivation impacts your decisions making with diet and types of food you choose to eat. Sleep deprivation can persuade your food choices towards high calorie, high sugar comfort foods. Not only that, but you will snack more in attempt to stay awake! AKA, you will be eating more food that is NOT good for you. This increases calorie intake and can lead to weight gain.
Not only will sleep deprivation affect your thinking about food consumption, it will affect your knowledge and ability to “kill the game” during midterms. The bottom line is: sleep is good for you! Don’t put it on the back burner: it will come back to haunt you in the form of excess weight, bad grades, and inability to exercise effectively! Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night and your brain, body and GPA will thank you.
Recent research presented at this year’s FNCE in Nashville, Tennessee, concluded that the less sleep one gets, the greater chances are that they’ll weigh more. Registered dietician Devon Golem from New Mexico State University explained that getting less than the recommended amount of sleep disrupts hormonal balance. Two major hormones that are impacted are Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin suppresses food intake and stimulates energy expenditure, while ghrelin stimulates appetite, fat production and body growth. Sleep deprived adults are shown to have decreased levels of leptin and increased levels of ghrelin, therefore directly correlating sleep deprivation with increased appetite and higher body mass index.
However, hormones aren’t the only aspect directly correlating sleep deprivation with obesity! For instance, sleep deprivation impacts your decisions making with diet and types of food you choose to eat. Sleep deprivation can persuade your food choices towards high calorie, high sugar comfort foods. Not only that, but you will snack more in attempt to stay awake! AKA, you will be eating more food that is NOT good for you. This increases calorie intake and can lead to weight gain.
Not only will sleep deprivation affect your thinking about food consumption, it will affect your knowledge and ability to “kill the game” during midterms. The bottom line is: sleep is good for you! Don’t put it on the back burner: it will come back to haunt you in the form of excess weight, bad grades, and inability to exercise effectively! Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night and your brain, body and GPA will thank you.