It’s not unusual to crave sweets after a poor night time’s sleep. And whereas most individuals assume it’s simply tiredness carrying down their willpower, a 2024 review within the Journal of Sleep Analysis suggests biology may very well be responsible.
Researchers parsed the outcomes of 13 research and located that sleeping lower than 6 hours per night time will increase how a lot you get pleasure from candy flavors, which probably nudges you towards sugary meals extra typically.
It’s not but clear why drained brains lean towards sugar, however there are a couple of working theories. One is that sleep deprivation lowers dopamine—the chemical that makes pleasurable issues really feel good—so your mind seeks candy meals to prime up the tank.
One other risk is that poor sleep increases the reward value of meals generally. That’s, all the pieces tastes higher if you’re underslept, which makes it even tougher to withstand sugary fare.
These findings sit neatly alongside the rising physique of proof on how sleep impacts our consuming habits.
For example, research shows that quick sleep will increase calorie consumption and steers us towards extra indulgent meals. It additionally reveals that undersleeping disrupts hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which may make you extra prone to overeat.
That helps clarify why scientists now acknowledge inadequate sleep as a key danger issue for weight achieve and weight problems.
Fortuitously, the repair is surprisingly low-effort.
In a single study, individuals who slept simply 20 minutes longer every night time reduce their every day sugar consumption by almost 10 grams. One other study discovered that extending sleep by simply over an hour led individuals to eat 270 fewer calories per day—a change which shortly led to fats loss.
All of which makes a easy level laborious to disregard: To make fat loss really feel simpler, sleep extra. For many, meaning getting 7-to-9 hours an evening.
Scientific References +
- Tucker, Robin M, et al. “The Influence of Sleep on Human Taste Function and Perception: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Sleep Research, 18 June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14257. Accessed 23 June 2024.
- “Does Getting Less Sleep Make Sugar More Appealing? – Study Summary.” Examine.com, 2025, examine.com/research-feed/study/983lV0/#ref-27. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
- DiNicolantonio, James J, et al. “Sugar Addiction: Is It Real? A Narrative Review.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 52, no. 14, 23 Aug. 2017, pp. 910–913, https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097971.
- Benedict, Christian, et al. “Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances the Brain’s Response to Hedonic Food Stimuli: An FMRI Study.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 97, no. 3, 1 Mar. 2012, pp. E443-447, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22259064/, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2011-2759. Accessed 29 Apr. 2021.
- Demos, Kathryn E, et al. “The Effects of Experimental Manipulation of Sleep Duration on Neural Response to Food Cues.” Sleep, vol. 40, no. 11, 20 July 2017, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsx125. Accessed 2 Mar. 2022.
- Greer, Stephanie M., et al. “The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Food Desire in the Human Brain.” Nature Communications, vol. 4, no. 1, 6 Aug. 2013, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3259.
- Duraccio, Kara M., et al. “The Impact of Short Sleep on Food Reward Processes in Adolescents.” Journal of Sleep Research, vol. 30, no. 2, 7 May 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13054. Accessed 20 Nov. 2022.
- Yang, Chia-Lun, et al. “Increased Hunger, Food Cravings, Food Reward, and Portion Size Selection after Sleep Curtailment in Women without Obesity.” Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 3, 19 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470707/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030663. Accessed 15 Mar. 2020.
- Alahmary, Sarah A., et al. “Relationship between Added Sugar Intake and Sleep Quality among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, vol. 16, no. 1, 23 Aug. 2019, p. 155982761987047, https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619870476.
- Soltanieh, Samira, et al. “Effect of Sleep Duration on Dietary Intake, Desire to Eat, Measures of Food Intake and Metabolic Hormones: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.” Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, vol. 45, Oct. 2021, pp. 55–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.07.029. Accessed 16 Dec. 2021.
- Lin, Jianfei, et al. “Associations of Short Sleep Duration with Appetite‐Regulating Hormones and Adipokines: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis.” Obesity Reviews, vol. 21, no. 11, 15 June 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13051. Accessed 6 Apr. 2021.
- Bacaro, Valeria, et al. “Sleep Duration and Obesity in Adulthood: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, vol. 14, no. 4, July 2020, pp. 301–309, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2020.03.004.
- Patel, Sanjay R., and Frank B. Hu. “Short Sleep Duration and Weight Gain: A Systematic Review.” Obesity, vol. 16, no. 3, 17 Jan. 2008, pp. 643–653, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18239586/, https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.118.
- Al Khatib, Haya K, et al. “Sleep Extension Is a Feasible Lifestyle Intervention in Free-Living Adults Who Are Habitually Short Sleepers: A Potential Strategy for Decreasing Intake of Free Sugars? A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 107, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2018, pp. 43–53, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqx030. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.
- Tasali, Esra, et al. “Effect of Sleep Extension on Objectively Assessed Energy Intake among Adults with Overweight in Real-Life Settings.” JAMA Internal Medicine, vol. 182, no. 4, 7 Feb. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098.
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