Why a lack of sleep gives you the munchies

FIND the biscuit tin impossible to resist? You might want to try getting more sleep.

A study found a lack of rest leads to higher levels of a hormone that makes eating more enjoyable, intensifying the desire for fatty and sugary treats.

The process is similar to an effect produced by the drug cannabis, which causes smokers to experience ‘the munchies’.

In tests, sleep-deprived men and women ate over 50 per cent more calories than they did after a good night’s rest.

The chemical, known as 2-AG, may offer a new explanation as to why some individuals pile on the pounds more easily than others, the journal Sleep suggested.

The University of Chicago researchers asked 14 healthy volunteers to sleep for 4.2 hours a night on average, over four nights.

While sleep-deprived, the group was more likely to eat snacks high in fat, sugar and salt when they were offered, such as cookies and crisps. They consumed double the amount of fat than when they had slept for eight hours, the study found. The tired volunteers also accepted the snacks despite having recently eaten a big meal.

After a normal night’s sleep, the participants’ 2-AG levels were low in the morning. They peaked in the early afternoon, soon after lunchtime, then decreased.

But after restricted sleep, levels of the chemical were 33 per cent higher and remained elevated until around 9pm.

University of Chicago researcher Erin Hanlon said: ‘We found sleep restriction boosts a signal that may increase the hedonic aspect of food intake, the pleasure and satisfaction gained from eating.’