he sleep and nutritionthere is a deeper connection between the two fundamental processes for health than previously thought.
Researchers from the UF Scripps Herbert Wertheim Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology (USA) analyzed how sleep deprivation affects appetite and rest patterns and found a direct link between both behaviors.
Through various studies, Chronic sleep deprivation increases calorie expenditure, while fasting can reduce the need for sleep. However, the mechanisms explaining this interaction are still poorly understood. To address this mystery, scientists published an experimental study in JNeurosci using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). This biological model allows us to observe how different types of sleep deprivation change subsequent behavior.
During the test, flies were exposed to various sleep restriction conditions. Researchers observed that when insects lose energy due to lack of rest, they compensate by eating more and sleeping to recover. On the other hand, if sleep deprivation did not affect energy levels, there was no change in diet or sleep duration.
This result confirms that sleep deprivation associated with decreased energy causes increased appetite and a tendency to sleep later. One of the study authors explained, “We think our study strengthens the idea of using less invasive sleep behavior interventions to alleviate eating and metabolic disorders.”
Similarly, the researchers emphasized that: “Correcting your sleep habits may make it easier to modify your cravings and eating habits.”.
“Our study also suggests that sleep and metabolic disorders may be difficult to treat alone; effective therapeutic interventions may require modification of multiple behaviors, including sleep and eating habits,” the researchers added.
This study suggests that sleep acts as an energy-saving mechanism and that addressing rest and eating issues separately may be ineffective in treating metabolic and sleep disorders.
The authors suggest that Improving rest may help regulate appetite and cravingsThis opens the possibility of developing integrative therapies that consider sleep and metabolism as interdependent processes.
Written by Maria Camila Salas Valencia
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