Lack of Sleep Adds to Weight Gain
According to a recent New York Times blog, a new research study suggests that depriving people of sleep – even for one night – creates pronounced changes in the way their brains respond to high-calorie junk foods. “A sleepy brain appears to not only respond more strongly to junk food, but also has less ability to rein that impulse in.”
Matthew P. Walker, an author of the study and professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that most people have about 16 hours of optimal functioning before the brain needs to go offline and sleep. “If you go beyond these 16 hours into the realm of sleep deprivation, then those brain networks start to break down and become dysfunctional.”
As mental health and eating disorder specialists, we try to explain the importance of proper sleep and nutrition to maintain a healthy body and mind.
Metro Behavioral Health Associates Eating Disorders Centers offers individual and family therapy, nutritional support and education, medication management, treatment groups and an Individual Outpatient Program (IOP). If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder or unhealthy eating habits, please contact us at (914) 723-6242 or info@mbhany.com.
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