Linking Sleep Deprivation and Binge Eating: Empirical Evidence and Underlying Mechanisms

Acute and chronic sleep deprivation have detrimental effect on physical and mental health and may affect eating behavior. Empirical findings demonstrated that sleep deprivation increases food intake and alters eating behavior through different potential pathways. These underlying mechanisms may be biological, cognitive, neural, emotional, and behavioral. Furthermore, cross-sectional evidence documented an association between sleep deprivation and disordered eating and binge eating. Similarly, some studies linked poor sleep due other comorbidities with binge eating. Additional novel experimental studies also support the link between sleep deprivation and binge eating. Despite these summarized findings, still little evidence is available to establish firm conclusions about the directionality of this link, and the need to further research is predominant.