
New studies reveal that patients who suffer from weight related sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, are more apt to make poor food choice decisions, leading to increased spending on food. The study, published in the journal, Obesity, and reported on by Medical News Today reveal that sleep disorders could be making many Americans fat. Findings from the study, which involved 14 men of normal, healthy weight, all of whom were confirmed to have normal sleep-wake rhythms, revealed that the men that suffered from sleep deprivation were far more likely to make unhealthy, high calorie food choices when given $50 to make supermarket purchases. These sleep deprived men purchased 9% more calories and 18% more food compared to purchases made by the same men after a good night’s sleep. Colin Chapman, first author of the study from Uppsala University in Sweden, told Medical News Today: "We hypothesized that sleep deprivation's impact on hunger and decision making would make for the perfect storm with regard to shopping and food purchasing, leaving individuals hungrier and less capable of employing self-control and higher-level decision-making processes to avoid making impulsive, calorie-driven purchases."