Sleep & metabolism: how poor sleep leads to weight gain and metabolic disfunction

Sleep is critical for our metabolic health.
Poor sleep can lead to weight gain and harmful metabolic disfunction.
Sleep deprivation impacts two key hormones related to eating:
1) Sleep deprivation increases grehlin, a hormone that makes us feel hungry
2) Sleep deprivation decreases leptin, a hormone that makes us feel full
This effect leads us to want to eat more. One study found that a group deprived of adequate sleep ate 300 more calories daily than did the group with adequate sleep.
Sleep deprivation also increases blood sugar, which can lead to insulin insensitivity and a cascade of related health problems.