When you’re feeling stressed out, what comfort food do you turn to? There’s a good chance that you’d go for a sweet tub of ice cream or a mouthwatering bag of chips and gulp it down with fizzy soda. If that’s the case, then it’s high time that you avoid the grocery store’s snacks section. In fact, researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) state that getting a good night’s sleep can protect you from stress-eating at night.

In this study, which appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology, the researchers investigated how work-related stress affected the eating patterns of workers. “We found that employees who have a stressful workday tend to bring their negative feelings from the workplace to the dinner table, as manifested in eating more than usual and opting for more junk food instead of healthy food,” said co-author of the study Chu-Hsiang Chang, professor of psychology at MSU.

Chang and her team found that stress in the workplace during the day negatively affected the eating habits of workers in the evening. Furthermore, the unhealthy foods they consume then affect the quality of their sleep, which in turn affects their mood during work the next day.

Chang and her team also found that having a good night’s sleep protects people against this unhealthy cycle. If you’re feeling stressed, grab a healthy bite to eat and then get some good sleep. “A good night’s sleep can make workers replenished and feel vigorous again,” Chang said, “which may make them better able to deal with stress at work the next day and less vulnerable to unhealthy eating.”

This study is important because it highlights how having an unhealthy diet can lead to a deteriorating cycle that leads to consuming even more unhealthy food. Continuing on this path can lead people to obesity and diabetes. If a person is both overweight and a diabetic, their risk of cancer increases dramatically, since nearly 800,000 new cancer diagnoses every year are caused by the combined effects of diabetes and obesity.

The positive effects of a good night’s rest

Doing something as simple as getting plenty of sleep instead of allowing yourself to indulge in junk food can be enough to put you on the road to better health. Other studies have also shown how people who get high-quality sleep tend to eat fewer calories.

People who sleep better are also more likely to do well at work the next day, as studies show that good-quality sleep improves a person’s productivity. Not only that, but good sleep also has a positive effect on brain function, especially when it comes to cognition, concentration and performance, as well as overall problem-solving ability and memory recall.

That’s not all that adequate sleep can do. Getting plenty of good sleep can also enhance your physical performance, reinforce your immune system’s optimal functioning and positively affect your social and emotional well-being.

Good sleep is a pillar of good health, along with eating a healthy and natural diet and getting plenty of exercise. When you’re feeling stressed, don’t reach for the junk food. Instead, fill your tummy with healthy food and get a good night’s rest. It’ll help you out more than the junk food ever will.

Sources include:

NewsWise.com

PsycNet.APA.org

Kent.ac.uk