Sleep Loss Boosts Hunger and Really Bad Food Choices

After a rough night of sleep loss, do you tend to wake up with the munchies?

According to new research by the University of Chicago Medical Center, there’s a reason why lack of sleep increases unhealthy food choices. The study shows that sleep deprivation produces higher and more sustained levels of a lipid (specifically an endocannabinoid known as 2-AG) that makes eating more enjoyable.

“We found that sleep restriction boosts a signal that may increase the hedonic aspect of food intake,” Erin Hanlon, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago Medical Center, told National Public Radio’s Allison Aubrey in a March 2 interview.