Since it’s National Sleep
Awareness Week, I wanted to share some interesting connections between sleep
and nutrition.
Today I posted an article on Facebook about the
relationship between sleep deprivation and unhealthy diets, specifically the
craving of guilty pleasure foods. The University of Chicago performed a
research study in which participants first got 7.5 hours (on average) of sleep,
and then 4.2 hours of sleep in Part Two of the study. The researchers found
that the loss of sleep intensified the effects of endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol
(or 2-AG). (Yes, cannabinoid, as in marijuana.) The elevation of 2-AG
levels resulted in a stronger desire for the munchies—the
“marijuana munchies”—and
fat-filled treats.
I found this study very intriguing and hope you can spare
the time to read about it. The Washington Post article
was well put, and the NBC segment is also
interesting to watch (if you don’t
feel like reading).
And another thing…
Fact of the day: Alcohol is NOT a sleep aid. Though it may act as a sedative and make you
fall asleep faster, alcohol will actually cause you to wake up more times
during the night, disrupting your sleep cycle (National Sleep
Foundation).
That’s all for now,
happy sleeping!
Mia Lu
Cool facts about sleep Mia! I never knew your body produced cannabinoid. Do you want food more if you sleep less because your body needs a different source of energy?
ReplyDeleteYep, you got it, we crave more food when we're sleep-deprived because we need to "create" an additional source of energy to get through the day....And fatty foods are just the way to do it.
ReplyDelete