Recent studies on the relationship between lack of sleep and increased appetite conclude that poor sleep increases voracity and overweight. The phenomenon is explained by a decrease in leptin levels in parallel with an increase in ghrelin levels and other hormones such as cortisol. For the epidemiologist James Gangwisch, from the American University of Columbia, this regulatory system could have been developed as " a strategy for human beings to store fat during the summer, when nights are shorter and food is more abundant , and thus prepare the body for the winter months. " Consequently, by reducing the hours of sleep the body would interpret that it is time to start storing fat.
More striking is the proposal from Yale University (USA) to incorporate a third element to the sleep-hunger couple: stress. The brain base of this relationship would be located in the orexin synthesizing neurons of the hypothalamus , which when overstimulated by the mental or environmental stress of the day to day can cause insomnia and increased appetite. His recommendation is very clear: if you suffer from insomnia and are overweight, fight stress before taking medication.
