Here we go again… A new study by researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Department shows that a whole host of diseases and conditions is linked to nighttime snacking and poor sleep quality. The real surprise is that someone didn’t make the connection sooner…
Poor sleep can lead to midnight snacking… Which can lead to more serious issues!
Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can lead to nighttime snacking which, in turn, leads to increased Junk Food cravings and other health concerns, the study found.
What they did…
Researchers polled more than 3,000 American adults from 23 metropolitan areas asking about their snacking habits, their quality of sleep and their existing health conditions. About 60 percent of participants reported regular nighttime snacking, and two-thirds reported that lack of sleep led them to crave more junk food.
Related risks…
The researchers found that junk food cravings were associated with double the increase in the likelihood of nighttime snacking, which was associated with an increased risk for diabetes. They also found that poor sleep quality seemed to be a major predictor of junk food cravings, and that junk food cravings were associated with a greater likelihood of participants reporting obesity, diabetes and other health problems.
Dr. Michael A. Grandner, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the U. Arizona Sleep and Health Research Program and the U.A. Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, notes: “This connection between poor sleep, junk food cravings and unhealthy nighttime snacking may represent an important way that sleep helps regulate metabolism.”
My take…
It’s not hard to predict that late night snacking can lead to, or contribute to, obesity. That’s why nutritionists say we should avoid big, heavy meals at supper which stoke you up with Calories at a time of day where you’re likely to be least active. You just naturally burn fewer Calories and store more as fat. And we already know that obesity is a major predictor for type-2 diabetes.
Revelation: I always thought late-night snacking led to stomach issues which, in turn, led to troubled sleep. Now, it seems, it’s the other way around!
What really caught my attention was that late-night snackers reported a connection between that habit and increased cravings for Junk Food. My guess is that, after waking from a poor quality sleep, the late eaters were looking for something convenient, and something high in fat and starch which would make them sleepy, again. Hence, Junk Food.
And it all leads back to poor quality sleep… Thus endeth today’s lesson.
~ Maggie J.