Ever wake up starving after a bad night’s sleep? This is why

Sleep is central to our health.

We know that getting a good night's sleep is linked to good heart and brain function, emotional wellbeing and a whole host of other health benefits. Interestingly, sleep has also been found to be linked to appetite. Sleep helps to regulate your hormones, like ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry and leptin, which makes you feel full. If you haven't gotten enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down, according to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute in the US, which will make your feel hungrier. Being sleep-deprived could also throw your diet plans off. A study at King's College London last year found that on average, people who don't get enough sleep eat 385 extra calories per day (that's a little more than a bag of crisps and a glass of white wine, FYI). This suggests that a lack of sleep could be linked to weight gain over time. So to get your day off to the healthiest start possible, the key could be getting a good eight hours in the night before.