Sleep deprivation may contribute to our craving for unhealthful foods, leading to a night-time snacking habit, recent research suggests. This, in turn, can heighten the risk of obesity and diabetes.

Share on Pinterest Poor sleep could contribute to poor dietary habits, warns a recent study.

Snacking in the late hours of the night may not bring many consequences if done every now and again, but if you’re a habitual night-time fridge raider, then you may be putting your health at risk.

A study from last year suggested that snacking beyond bedtime could lead to skin damage by altering the production of a protective enzyme.

However, some of the most serious effects of night-time snacking have to do with metabolic diseases, with research showing that this habit can contribute to the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

And, according to a new study from the University of Arizona in Tucson, people who have a hard time falling asleep at night are some of the most exposed to munching in the later hours, which may increase their risk of obesity and diabetes.

“Laboratory studies suggest,” explains co-author Michael A. Grandner, “that sleep deprivation can lead to junk food cravings at night, which leads to increased unhealthy snacking at night, which then leads to weight gain.”

“This study,” he adds, “provides important information about the process, that these laboratory findings may actually translate to the real world.”

The researchers’ findings were recently presented at SLEEP 2018, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, held in Baltimore, MD.