Molecular Ties Between Lack of Sleep and Weight Gain

Being consistently sleep deprived is a serious medical issue; one that carries significant physical and mental risks. Individuals who regularly don’t get enough sleep, who are constantly fatigued from not enough rest, suffer from a litany of issues that simply sleeping more regularly will resolve.

Researchers at the University of Chicago have conducted recent studies into the specifics of sleep deprivation. Problems managing weight are one of the most common; those who are chronically not well rested tend towards obesity. Another is changes in the body’s hormonal balances that will result in less well regulated controls over energy levels. Both tend to wire you to want to seek food based rewards more often and with less impulse control.

The results of sleep deprivation on appetite are remarkably similar to the high that comes from use of marijuana. In the study, participants were subjected to cycles of either normal duration sleep periods, or restricted periods that allowed less than five hours of rest. Upon rising, both groups were monitored as to how they selected their meals and diet plans. The sleep deprived participants consistently selected foods that were less healthy and more damaging to weight maintenance. The researchers want to repeat the study with a larger group, they suggest that anyone looking to control their appetite should make sure they hit the sack regularly.

Key Points:

  • 1Lack of sleep increases activation of eCB in the body, increasing appetite.
  • 2Study consisted of a control group allowed 8.5 hours of sleep per night, and a test group given only 4.5 hour of sleep.
  • 3Sleep deprived group snacked more often and chose option of lower nutritive value.


Sleep deprivation has also been associated with higher risks of weight gain and obesity in recent years.
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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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