Unhealthy food is craved when tired - Health & wellness - The Boston Globe

Sleep deprivation may be associated with the desire for unhealthy foods, according to a small study of 25 participants presented Sunday. Researchers at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Columbia University in New York used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of the participants as they looked at images of healthy and unhealthy foods, both after their sleep was restricted and after regular sleep. The parts of the brain associated with feeling pleasure were activated at the sight of unhealthy food when the participants were sleep-deprived, but not when rested.