Sophomore biology major Christine Matosian has pulled her share of all-nighters in the face of overwhelming work loads. So, she knows what it’s like when late-night hunger pains settle in.
“If I stay up late doing work, I get hungrier and end up eating late at night,” she said, which easily adds excess pounds.
It seems that recent experimental studies agree.
Researchers from Bristol University and the University of Chicago took blood samples from Wisconsin Sleep Cohort volunteers and found that it is easier to gain weight when one does not get enough sleep.
High amounts of ghrelin, a hunger-inducing hormone, were found in the blood samples of students who slept an average of five hours per night.
Low concentrations of leptin were also found in the samples. Leptin indicates satiation and allows a person to feel full after eating, according to studies published in California State Polytechnic University’s newspaper last month.
A combination of certain levels of ghrelin and leptin cause greater appetites, and in turn, weight gain.
Those involved in the study also claimed to have cravings for foods with high fat, salt and/or sugar content when they did not sleep enough. But many Fairfield students disagreed with the findings.
“I get an average of eight hours of sleep each night,” said Brenna Ganis ’09. “I find that I get hungry with my class schedule, so I’m usually hungrier in the afternoon. But, I’m also conscious of the fact that I need to eat healthy,” she said.
Mike DeLuca ’08 agreed. “I think that people who oversleep would tend to overeat, rather than vice versa. Their metabolisms aren’t speeding up while they’re sleeping,” he said.
Charlie Duff ’09 shared similar sentiments.
“I don’t think a lack of sleep correlates with weight gain because you are usually active when you are awake. I also think that you eventually make up for lost sleep – most likely on the weekends,” Duff said.
Fairfield psychology professor Ron Salafia also had trouble with the study’s findings.
“I know of no direct relationship that shows if you sleep less, then you are prone to obesity,” he said.
He did mention that those who are obese may suffer from sleep apnea, so they wake up many times throughout the night. But in this case, “the obesity came first.” Salafia also said he would need to know more about the test subjects.
“Maybe [the subjects] were obese and eating more already,” he said.
Yet Michelle Vancouver, a professor in the department of public health and coordinator of the wellness center at Southern Connecticut State University, concurred that a person would crave carbohydrates when he or she is not sleeping adequately.
She also noted that carbohydrates provide quick energy and are readily accessible to students via vending machines and the school cafeteria.
“A person needs a balance of protein, grains and vegetables,” Vancouver said.
“Consuming too many carbohydrates will throw you off balance and can definitely cause you to gain weight,” she added.
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