So, the research now is pretty significant to let us know that sleep deprivation absolutely has an effect on weight gain, but really occurs in three different areas.
The first area has to do with our hormones. So, as we become more and more sleep deprived, our Cortisol level raises -- which is our stress hormone that also influences our appetite and makes us want to eat more. Also, our metabolism has a tendency to slow down -- which means that our food isn't burning nearly as quickly as it once was. So, now we've got high appetite with low metabolism, which is not necessarily good. The kicker turns out to be food choices even change. The more sleep deprived you are, the more-likely you are to grab for the cakes and the cookies and the pies, because what your brain is trying to do is gather in some food to help calm you down. Remember those comfort foods that you have out there? Those are the ones that you're going to grab for which are usually the highest in calories, and those are going to make you calm down because of that higher level of Cortisol.
So, we know that sleep deprivation affects weight gain in multiple ways.
