Sleep loss boosts hunger and unhealthy food choices

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/uocm-slb022516.php

Public Release: 29-Feb-2016
Sleep loss boosts hunger and unhealthy food choices
Mechanism mimics the marijuana 'munchies'
University of Chicago Medical Center

Skimping on sleep has long been associated with overeating, poor food choices and weight gain. Now a new study shows how sleep loss initiates this process, amplifying and extending blood levels of a chemical signal that enhances the joy of eating, particularly the guilty pleasures gained from sweet or salty, high-fat snack foods.

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