Study: Lack of sleep could explain those temptations

According to new research carried out in the States, getting only a few hours of sleep could cause you to make bad choices when it comes to junk food.

Are you trying your hardest to shift a few extra pounds before the summer is over? Well having a good night’s sleep could seriously help you to stave off temptation.

Researchers from the US examined the areas of the brain that were most active when people were shown healthy or unhealthy foods.

They found that the reward centres of the brain were activated when sleep-deprived study volunteers saw pictures of unhealthy foods. This means that we secretly crave unhealthy foods when were knackered.

"We found regions associated with reward and motivation - those that are involved with addiction and pleasure-seeking behaviours - were more strongly activated in the short-sleep phase," said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a research associate at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Centre and an assistant professor at Columbia University's Institute of Human Nutrition in New York City.

The results make a lot of sense, because when the body is sleep-deprived it craves calorie-dense foods that give you quick energy. So that’s why sweets, chipper and greasy pizza looks heavenly when you’re a bit tired.

The researchers suggest that you should get between seven and eight hours of sleep per night to make sure that you don’t make the wrong choices when it comes to food the next morning.

So instead of doing 50 extra sit-ups a day, why not try and get an extra hour in bed?