Why less sleep makes you hungrier
Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Sleep duration had no significant effect on insulin or glucose levels after accounting for BMI.
Most people assume lack of sleep causes insulin resistance and prediabetes—but this large, rigorous study shows appetite hormones, not sugar metabolism, are the primary link to weight gain.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for at least 7.7 hours of sleep nightly to minimize the 3.6% BMI increase per hour lost.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Sleep duration had no significant effect on insulin or glucose levels after accounting for BMI.
Most people assume lack of sleep causes insulin resistance and prediabetes—but this large, rigorous study shows appetite hormones, not sugar metabolism, are the primary link to weight gain.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for at least 7.7 hours of sleep nightly to minimize the 3.6% BMI increase per hour lost.
Publication
Journal
PLoS Medicine
Year
2004
Authors
Shahrad Taheri, Ling Lin, Diane Austin, Terry Young, Emmanuel Mignot
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you don’t get enough sleep just one night, your body makes more of the hunger hormone and less of the fullness hormone, which might make you feel hungrier the next day.
If you sleep less than 7.7 hours a night, the less you sleep, the higher your body mass index (BMI) tends to be — for example, people who sleep 5 hours have a 3.6% higher BMI than those who sleep 8 hours, even when you account for their age, gender, or breathing issues during sleep.
People who sleep only 5 hours a night tend to have lower levels of a hormone that tells your brain you're full, compared to those who sleep 8 hours — even if they're the same weight or age — which might make them feel hungrier.
If you only sleep 5 hours instead of 8, your body might produce more of a hormone that makes you feel hungrier — even if you’re the same weight, age, or sex as someone who sleeps longer.
When adults between 30 and 60 don’t get enough sleep over a long time, their body makes less of a hormone that tells them they’re full; but if they miss a night of sleep, their body makes more of a hormone that makes them feel hungry—so different kinds of sleep loss affect hunger in different ways.