You know how it is when you haven’t had enough sleep - you don’t always make the best decisions. It turns out that food choices are not exempt from the tired fog - researchers at the University of California Berkeley found that sleep-deprivation was linked to changes in brain activity and people favouring less healthy food choices than their well rested counterparts.
The study, reported in Nature Communications involved 23 healthy volunteers, who had their brains scanned after a good night's sleep and again after a sleepless night. When offered foods, from the healthier end of the spectrum (fruits, vegetables) and the high-calorie 'junk' end (burgers, pizzas, doughnuts), the well rested tended to make healthier choices while the sleep-deprived went for the calorie hits.
The results, which are described on the University's website suggest that a lack of sleep can blunt activity in brain regions involved in making complex decisions, while also increasing activity in brain regions involved in motivation and desire.