Why Lack of Sleep Increases Late Night Snack Cravings

Decades of studies have shown that those who sleep poorly are more likely to be obese—our need for sleep and calories seem deeply linked. Why that may be, however, has been difficult to understand.

A new study published in the journal Sleep, suggest that the reason so many of us crave late-night snacks may have to do with how sleep changes brain chemistry. Though it’s a small study, it builds on previous research about how the body responds differently to food consumption at various times of the day.

Researchers from the University of Chicago recruited 14 men and women in their twenties to be monitored in a sleep lab and split them into two groups. In two, four-day sessions, both groups’ food consumption and sleep time were strictly controlled. They all received three meals at 9am, 2pm, and 7pm. During the first visit, one group slept 7.5 hours a night and the other slept a little more than four hours. Then, during the next visit, they kept their meal times the same but swapped their sleeping hours.

After the final night in each session, the volunteers were offered as much food as they would like to eat. In both sessions, the researchers found that those who had slept less ate, on average, 300 calories more than those who had slept more.

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