Sleep vs. Exercise and Diet

As you may know, my topic for Junior Theme is about sleep deprivation in Americans. The book I am reading (Light's Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival) brought up some very good points, and I thought I would share some of them with you. A major point in the book that I found interesting, although not directly connected with my topic, is the correlation between exercise and GAINING weight. And I don't mean converting fat to muscle type of weight, I mean increasing food intake and fat percentage. The author had a good argument. He states that when you run, your body immediately thinks you are running for your life. This triggers the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. The increased level of cortisol, paired with adrenaline, creates a temporary euphoria. But when you exercise vigorously a few times a week or more, the cortisol levels do not get a chance to subside, causing your body to be in a constant state of distress and crave fatty foods.