From a metabolic perspective, the sleep-restricted participants had lost their hunger control. By limiting these individuals to what some in our society would think of as a “sufficient” amount of sleep (five hours a night), Van Cauter had caused a profound imbalance in the scales of hormonal food desire. By muting the chemical message that says “stop eating” (leptin), yet increasing the hormonal voice that shouts “please, keep eating” (ghrelin), your appetite remains unsatisfied when your sleep is anything less than plentiful, even after a kingly meal. As Van Cauter has elegantly described to
...more
