The ‘munchies’ describes a sudden strong desire for food. The phrase, and the phenomenon, has long been associated with the use of marijuana, as after smoking pot people have a tendency to want to eat a lot, particularly junk food and sweets. But a new report has revealed that the munchies also appear after insufficient sleep, and researchers believe that they now know why.

The study was conducted as a collaboration between the University of Chicago’s Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, the University of Chicago Medicine and the Medical College of Wisconsin, and was led by Erin Hanlon, PhD, research associate and assistant professor. They found that insufficient sleep raises the level of a specific substance that is a natural appetite stimulant. This, in addition to already-known shifts in the hormone levels of leptin and ghrelin, provide more evidence as to why lack of sleep contributes to weight gain and obesity. According to Hanlon, “Past experimental studies show that sleep restriction increases hunger and appetite. The mechanism for overeating after inadequate sleep may be an elevation in this endocannabinoid molecule, called 2-arachidonoylglycerol, or 2-AG.” Continue reading →

Two separate studies that were recently released are providing new evidence to the harm that working on night shift can do to women’s overall health. One study conducted in Europe has shown that night and alternating shifts increase the risk of miscarriage, menstrual disruption and infertility issues, while a study out of Canada has revealed that women who have worked night shifts for thirty years or more have twice the risk of developing breast cancer. Continue reading →

With millions of dollars being spent in the United States every year on devices and medications designed to aid sleep, it is remarkable that so many people are ignoring one of the most highly effective and inexpensive sleep aids available. It is completely portable, can be done at any time of day or night, comes in a variety of styles to fit any lifestyle or person, yet when physicians, sleep experts and friends and family members recommend it, many turn it down? What is this miracle sleep aid? It’s exercise. Continue reading →

If you ask the average American what’s on their wish list for improving the quality of their lives and the way that they feel, most people will have either losing weight or getting more sleep at the top of their list. The funny thing is that there’s a good chance that if they accomplish one, the other will follow. There’s a growing body of evidence indicating that sleep and obesity are closely tied to one another. Not only do sleep-deprived people have a higher risk for obesity, but people who are obese have a higher risk of experiencing trouble falling asleep, and also have a high potential for being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, a serious health condition.  Continue reading →

With the news full of concerns about sleep deprivations and its dangers, the latest report out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds on to the already-existing concerns: the most recent survey has revealed that one out of every twenty-five drivers in the United States confesses to having fallen asleep while driving in the thirty days prior to the survey.  Continue reading →