Low sleep quality and duration may increase your risk of developing heart disease ( 26, 27, 28). In particular, you’re more likely to eat foods high in sugar and fat. Sleep deprivation may increase your appetite and cause you to eat more calories. Short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity and weight gain. So, prioritizing sleep may support healthy body weight. To make matters worse, feeling tired after a night of too little sleep may leave you feeling unmotivated to hit the gym, go for a walk, or do whichever other physical activity you enjoy. What’s more, to compensate for lack of energy, sleep deprivation may make you crave foods that are higher in sugar and fat, due to their higher calorie content ( 10, 11). This is supported by various studies that have shown that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories ( 8, 9). This may cause us to feel hungrier and overeat ( 7). Ghrelin is a hormone that makes us feel hungry while leptin makes us feel full. The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be affected by numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise ( 5).įor instance, sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin and decreases levels of leptin. Meanwhile, sleeping longer didn’t increase the risk ( 6). In fact, a 2020 analysis found that adults who slept fewer than 7 hours per night had a whopping 41% increased risk of developing obesity. Numerous studies have associated short sleep - defined as sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night - with a greater risk of weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI) ( 3, 4, 5).
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