TITLE

Poor Sleep Gives You the Munchies, Study Says

DESCRIPTION

Can sleep deprivation be a factor in weight gain?   A number of studies in the general population and especially college students suggest that this is the case.  A recent study examined the hunger and eating pattern in a non obese sample before and after subjecting the individuals to sleep deprivation.  As it turns out, indeed there was a feeling of greater hunger and actual behavioral changes (eating more) snack foods.  The researchers pointed out, “The study took a close look at receptors affected by endocannabinoids — so named for cannabis, the marijuana plant — which it found were closely involved in the food cravings that come from sleep deprivation.”  The general trend in the American population in general has been to deliberately shorten the amount of sleep needed, and so there may well be a relationship between the obesity epidemic and sleep deprivation.

SOURCE

New York Times, March 4, 2016, By Jonah Bromwich

LINK TO RESOURCE

(Tiny URL)  http://tinyurl.com/j4ty9kb

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•First ask:  what are the brain systems involved in hunger regulation?
•Ask, anecdotally:  What are the munchies?  What causes the munchies?  Have the students tell stories of what they have “observed” in others.
•On the tail of the last question, ask:  Have students had a similar experience after being sleep deprived?
•What is the endocannabinoid system?  What is it’s role in brain function?
•What are the practical implications of this type of study?