Health
Feeling hungrier than usual? Your sleep schedule could be the culprit, an expert says
If you’ve been feeling hungrier than usual, it could be due to your sleeping habits.
Human hunger is tied to circadian rhythm, according to experts, which means not sleeping enough can cause a greater appetite.
Dr. Christopher Rhodes, a nutritional biologist in California, explained in a conversation with Fox News Digital that a body deprived of sleep “seeks out energy by way of food.”
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“Sleep and eating are intimately linked due to their shared involvement in both metabolic signaling and your body’s circadian rhythms,” he said.
“Just as we train our body on when to expect sleep, we also train it on when to expect food based on our typical mealtimes and dietary patterns throughout the day, which becomes part of our daily circadian cycles.”
Human hunger is tied to circadian rhythm, according to experts, which means not sleeping enough can cause a greater appetite. (iStock)
Poor sleep disrupts hormonal signaling — particularly cortisol, which impacts “metabolic rate and the crucial hormones leptin and ghrelin,” according to Rhodes.
These hormones are responsible for controlling hunger and the use of energy, he noted.
Extreme disruptions in circadian rhythm — like insomnia or “all-nighters” — can cause a “ripple effect” throughout the body, according to Rhodes.
“Sleep and eating are intimately linked.”
“[This] can throw our natural rhythms out of whack and cause issues with our biological signaling, changes in hormone levels, chemical signaling and neuronal function,” he said.
“In turn, these imbalances can cause excess hunger and cravings as our body, deprived of the energizing effects of sleep, seeks to compensate by taking in more energy from food,”
Staying up late at night can throw off the body’s natural rhythm, according to experts. (iStock)
Low-quality sleep can also contribute to poor cognition and reduced brain function, which reduces impulse control, the expert noted.
When these effects are combined with added cravings, and as the body “desperately seek[s] ways to fuel itself,” that can lead to excess food consumption, Rhodes warned.
Curbing cravings
While it may be difficult to ignore cravings, Rhodes suggested some healthy ways to break the cycle of increased hunger and poor sleep.
It’s best to avoid snacking at bedtime, he said, as energy from snacks can keep you awake.
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“By and large, the best bedtime snack is none at all,” Rhodes said. “Food intake immediately before bed will cause a rush of nutrients and energy into your system, which can disrupt the natural circadian signaling that helps govern your sleep cycles.”
“Moreover, food before bed can often set off cravings for more food, which can further disrupt your sleep,” he continued. “Small snacks are typically not enough to meet our body’s satiety thresholds and can lead to more hunger throughout the night.”
“It’s best to avoid the canonical ‘midnight munchie’ foods like junk food, cookies, ice cream, pizza and especially alcohol,” the expert said. (iStock)
It’s best to eat at least four to six hours before falling asleep, according to Rhodes, to allow the body to fully metabolize food and store excess energy that could disrupt sleep.
“Focus on foods that have a low glycemic impact and are slow digesting — like lean proteins, healthy nuts or fibrous veggies — to avoid blood sugar spikes,” he said.
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It’s also best to avoid the traditional “midnight munchie” foods like junk food, cookies, ice cream and pizza, he advised — “especially alcohol, as it has been shown to have particularly adverse effects on sleep quality.”
Despite the preconceived idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Rhodes suggested following your body’s natural hunger cues.
“Breakfast is just another meal like any other, and not the end all be all of your daily well-being,” he said.
“If you don’t feel hungry in the morning, it’s best to just follow your body’s natural cues than to force yourself to eat a meal out of obligation,” Rhodes advised. (iStock)
“If you don’t feel hungry in the morning, it’s best to just follow your body’s natural cues than to force yourself to eat a meal out of obligation.”
There may be health benefits for some people who cut breakfast out of their diet, Rhodes mentioned, as studies have shown that intermittent fasting can have positive effects on blood glucose control, cognition and cholesterol levels.
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One easy way to boost energy and satiety throughout the day is to drink hot green tea or other balanced energy drinks that contain caffeine and L-theanine, to “provide sustained energy without jitters or a crash,” Rhodes said.
You sleep how you eat
The food you choose to eat can determine the quality of your sleep, according to experts.
“Quality of sleep can be altered by a number of nutritional factors, including blood glucose spikes, total caloric intake, vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, supplements, meal timing and more,” Rhodes said.
“Insomnia and poor sleep quality have been linked with a higher risk of obesity in many studies.”
The food you eat can determine the quality of your sleep, according to experts. (iStock)
It’s also important to avoid deficiencies in vitamins A, C, D, E, K, calcium and magnesium, which can affect sleep quality.
“Of these, magnesium supplementation may be the most beneficial, as it’s estimated that 75% of Americans are currently deficient, and magnesium supplementation is well-known to promote calm and support sleep quality,” Rhodes added.
“Insomnia and poor sleep quality have been linked with a higher risk of obesity.”
The most important aspect of maintaining good sleep and eating habits, regardless of lifestyle, is staying as consistent as possible in your day-to-day schedule, according to Rhodes.
“Stabilizing your circadian rhythms will help to improve cognition, mood, hunger signaling and sleep quality by avoiding the hormonal, chemical and neuronal disruptions that can be caused by inconsistent circadian signaling,” Rhodes said.
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“Eating the same meals in the same amounts at the same time every day and maintaining a consistent sleeping schedule will help retrain your body’s circadian rhythms and signaling, so that your atypical work and eating hours will become normal to your body.”
The expert suggested large batch meal prepping as a way to cut down on time spent cooking while also ensuring a “healthy, consistent meal” on hand when needed.
Meal prepping is a great way to save time and ensure nutritious food intake, Rhodes said. (iStock)
For even better sleep, Rhodes recommended buying tools such as earplugs, night masks or blackout curtains to avoid distractions.
“If needed, a melatonin supplement can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, and helps to accelerate adaptations to new sleeping schedules by normalizing sleep hormone production and circadian signaling,” he added.
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Washington, DC – Medical victim Chloe Cole was at the center of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Thursday announcement of proposed regulatory actions to end “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors.
The proposed regulatory actions by the HHS are part of President Donald Trump‘s January executive order calling on the department to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.”
The department is rolling out a series of policy updates and regulatory actions that would effectively defund hospitals that provide gender transition procedures, according to an HHS official.
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Cole, now 21 years old, went through the process of medical transition from female to male between the ages of 12 and 16.
The California native took to the stage alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials Thursday to advocate for the protection of children. Afterward, she told Fox News Digital the puberty blockers, testosterone injections and double mastectomy she endured have irreversibly and permanently affected her health.
Detransitioner Chloe Cole joined HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday as he announced proposed regulations ending gender treatments for children. (Fox News Digital)
“As soon as gender was in the picture, none of my doctors or psychologists asked the real questions that they should have,” said Cole. “The entire focus was on my feelings and what I wanted rather than what I really needed in that moment.”
What she needed, Cole said, was to be loved and affirmed for the way God created her — “as a young and yet tomboyish little girl.”
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She maintained that her doctors neglected to share risks, only touting the “benefits” of stopping female puberty and using testosterone to promote body hair growth, musculature and different fat distribution.
“There was nothing they could say to me that would make me understand the gravity of what I was about to go through, because I was still growing up,” said Cole. “I had very little experience in the world, and I simply would not be mature enough to be equipped to undergo such a life-changing procedure in every way.”
“I had very little experience in the world, and I simply would not be mature enough to be equipped to undergo such a life-changing procedure in every way,” Cole, pictured above in both pictures, told Fox News Digital. (Chloe Cole; Fox News Digital)
Cole noted that her parents never thought she was transgender, but felt like the odds were stacked against them.
“At the time when we started going through this as a family, there really were no resources that would speak to the reality of transgenderism, especially for children,” she said. “Most people were not aware then that this was something that was even happening in our hospital systems.”
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Cole said her parents were warned that if they did not allow her to transition, she would likely commit suicide.
“My legal guardians were forced to make this decision under duress,” she shared in a previous statement. “But even if my parents had supported transitioning medically from the start, no parent or any adult, ultimately, has a right to determine whether a child gets to be chemically sterilized or mutilated.”
“While there are only two sexes, there’s a million different ways that you can be yourself,” said Cole, pictured above during her surgeries. (Chloe Cole)
Cole said she’s suffered numerous complications from her medications and surgery. “My quality of life is still being impacted to this day,” she wrote in her statement.
Her fertility status now remains unknown, she said. She will not be able to breastfeed because her breasts were surgically removed.
“As an adult, I am now grieving, and on top of that, the areolar skin grafts they used in my surgery began to fail two years afterward. I must wear bandages on my chest every day,” Cole wrote.
“As an adult, I am now grieving.”
In 2023, Cole filed a lawsuit with the Center for American Liberty (CAL) against hospitals for pushing her into what she believes is medical mutilation.
Mark Trammell of CAL told Fox News Digital that Thursday’s HHS announcement “represents a critical acknowledgment that experimental medical interventions on children with gender distress have failed to meet basic standards of safety and effectiveness.”
Cole, who detransitioned after medical procedures, is warning others to wait and seek family support before transitioning. (Fox News Digital)
“It signals that medicine must return to its core ethical obligation: First, do no harm,” Trammell added.
“We will continue fighting to ensure accountability for the institutions that promoted these practices and to secure justice for the children and detransitioners whose lives were forever altered.”
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In a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital, Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he is in favor of a “more conservative approach” for minors.
“Long-term effects of puberty blockers may include bone loss, trouble concentrating, interference with learning and interference with fertility,” he said. “I think it makes sense in most cases to treat underlying mental health concerns before jumping into treatments, including surgery, that may be difficult to reverse.”
“It makes sense in most cases to treat underlying mental health concerns before jumping into treatments.”
The doctor also emphasized that gender issues should not be overly politicized. “This means not superimposing an ideology or pushing physicians to act in a certain way or under pressure,” Siegel said.
Cole began the gender transition process at age 12 and received a double mastectomy surgery at 15 years old. (Fox News Digital)
“The welfare of the child must come first. In this case, it means going very slowly and providing support to a child or teen with gender dysphoria.”
Cole shared that she hopes any children who are questioning whether they should transition wait.
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“While there are only two sexes, there are a million different ways that you can be yourself,” she added.
“God is there for you. He is the one who has created you this way, and you can seek his counsel,” Cole went on.
“You can continue praying, and I think ultimately it’s connecting with your family, building your purpose in this world, and looking to the gospel and up to God.”
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed reporting.
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Those at risk of type 2 diabetes may be able to prevent heart problems later.
A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology discovered that lowering the blood sugar of those with prediabetes could reduce the risk of heart attack by half.
Diabetes researchers and endocrine experts across Europe, China and the U.S. investigated how bringing blood sugar back to normal levels affected the chances of heart problems later in life, based on a 20-year American study and a 30-year Chinese study, according to a press release.
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In both studies, the prediabetic participants were coached to make appropriate lifestyle changes to lower blood sugar (the amount of glucose in the bloodstream) through diet and exercise, also targeting weight loss.
Participants worked to lower blood sugar through diet and exercise targeted at weight loss. (iStock)
The researchers split the participants into a remission group (where blood sugar returned to normal) and a non-remission group, which included those still in the prediabetes range. They then determined who in these groups had died from heart disease or were hospitalized for heart failure.
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Participants who went into remission had a 58% lower risk of dying from heart disease and being hospitalized for heart failure. This group also had a lower risk of other major heart events and lower overall death rates.
These heart-protective benefits lasted for decades after the program ended, the researchers found.
Those in prediabetes remission had their risk of a heart event reduced by more than half. (iStock)
“Reaching prediabetes remission is linked to a decades-long benefit, halving the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in diverse populations,” the researchers commented in the publication of the study. “Targeting remission might represent a new approach to cardiovascular prevention.”
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, study co-author and professor of medicine at the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany, reiterated that reaching prediabetes remission is not only relevant for reducing the progression of type 2 diabetes, but may also be associated with a “meaningful reduction in… heart attack risk, cardiac death and heart failure.”
“Importantly, this underscores that prediabetes is a modifiable stage where timely, evidence-based interventions (especially lifestyle measures, and in selected cases, medication) can make a real difference,” he added.
“Reaching prediabetes remission is linked to a decades-long benefit, halving the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in diverse populations,” the researchers commented. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, including that it is based on analysis of trials not originally designed to measure cardiovascular outcomes, which means the results show association but cannot prove causation.
In addition, unmeasured lifestyle and health factors, population differences and lack of randomization for heart outcomes may have influenced the reduced cardiovascular risk, the researchers acknowledged.
“This underscores that prediabetes is a modifiable stage where timely, evidence-based interventions … can make a real difference.”
Birkenfeld suggested that those with prediabetes should ask their doctors the following questions: “What is my current status? What is my personal cardiovascular risk? What is my target blood glucose level?”
Patients should also inquire about the frequency of testing for blood sugar and key risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and other related conditions, such as kidney function or sleep apnea, he advised.
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“If lifestyle changes aren’t enough or my risk is high, would medication be appropriate for me — and what are the benefits and downsides?” the researcher asked as an example.
About 98 million American adults, more than one in three, have prediabetes, according to CDC data. Eight in 10 of these adults are unaware that they have the disease.
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