Unhealthy Fast Food Consumption Risk Higher Among People Who Like To Sleep Late

Waking up late is likely contributing to your unhealthy food cravings. A recent study found that people who sleep in until later in the morning crave for fast food more.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Northwestern University and published in the journal Sleep, according to a report from Science Daily. For the research, 96 participants with ages between 18 and 50 were examined, with each of them having around six-and-a-half hours of sleep every night.

Aside from craving for fast food, people who like to sleep late also have more inactive lifestyles and have low consumption of fruits and vegetables. This kind of unhealthy fast food consumption, combined with poor diet quality and exercise, can make people gain weight and lead them to obesity.

Loss Of Sleep Triggers Weight Gain

In 2015, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar found that losing sleep even as little as 30 minutes can increase people's chances of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. The research said that putting the body clock out of sync can disturb the natural rhythm of the hormones and ultimately lead to health issues like slower metabolism and weight gain, BBC reported.

Shahrad Taheri, professor of medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and the study's lead author, said people opt to lose sleep to keep up with the demands of the modern society such as their jobs and their social lives. With this lifestyle, people choose to reduce their sleep during the weekdays and just catch up on their "sleep debt" at weekends.

Bupa, an international health care organization, said adults should have seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Teenagers should sleep for nine hours while children need between nine and ten hours.

Benefits Of A Good Night's Sleep

Another study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, or JCEM, found that a short nap can counteract the consequences of insufficient sleep. Study author Dr. Brice Faraut said that a 30-minute nap "can reverse the hormonal impact of a night of poor sleep," EurekAlert reported.

Specifically, naps can restore the body's neuroendocrine biomarkers and normalize immune health levels. Lack of sleep increases the body's norepinephrine levels, which is a hormone and neurotransmitter responsible for how a person handles his/her stress. Norepinephrine raises heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar.

Getting a good night's sleep helps people have improved workouts and prevent colds and migraines, the Huffington Post reported. Sleep also enhances blood sugar control.