Your Lack Of Sleep Could Be Making You Sick

Your lack of sleep making you sick 

Losing sleep doesn’t just make us tired. It could also be making us fat! In a recent study, healthy people who were limited to five hours of sleep a night gained an astonishing two pounds in less than a week! Lead researcher, biologist Dr. Ken Wright, said that losing sleep affects us in three important ways:

• It slows down our resting metabolism. Being tired makes us move less. And a slower metabolism reduces the number of calories our bodies use for basic activities – like breathing and circulating blood.
• Being tired also affects our food choices. Studies show that sleep-deprived people tend to go for salty snacks, and sweets high in carbs and protein – as opposed to healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables. That’s because processed foods provide a short-term energy boost. Plus, when we’re worn out, we have less willpower to resist temptation.
• A lack of sleep also affects when people get hungry. Our bodies are designed to eat more in the morning and less after dark. But when we’re sleep-deprived, we tend to skip breakfast – or eat a skimpy breakfast and binge on after-dinner snacks.