The Future of Biopsychology - Appetite, Sleep and Resource Intensive Lifestyle - Research Paper Example

?The Future of Biopsychology - Appetite, Sleep, and Resource Intensive Lifestyle Introduction Biopsychology is a branch of neuroscience that deals with how the brain and neurotransmitters or the nervous system (NS) influence/control behavior, feelings and thoughts. Examples of such behaviors are sleeping and eating. This branch of neuroscience is a rapidly growing area of research that includes all aspects of the function and structure of the NS. Biopsychology can be said to be a combination of neuroscience, as a branch of biology, and psychology. The field involves a number of experimental strategies aimed at enhancing our understanding of the NS (biology) and the relation of this to behavior (psychology). Some of the major experiments focus on the mechanisms of sleep and the effects of this on appetite and resource intensive lifestyle. Sleep and eating are two important physiological processes that are interfered with and distorted in contemporary urban areas. This problem is of growing concern as evidenced by the media reports on epidemics of obesity and sleep deprivation in the American culture. Sleep and appetite are influenced by environment and/or lifestyle. For example, sleep is influenced by the levels of natural light while appetite is influenced the composition or quantity and frequency of consumption of non-processed foods. However, there is a high likelihood that natural appetites and sleep deprivation are undermined by the busy and hectic urban schedules, fast food, artificial lighting, alcohol and caffeine. Electronic equipment and other forms of entertainment also present round-the-clock temptations of avoiding sleep. It has now been proved beyond doubt that human beings are unhealthy eaters and are deprived of sleep because of their lifestyles. In addition, a review of the existing research on the origins and the consequences of problems related to sleep and appetite reveals that these society-wide problems are connected to environmental unsustainability. That is, these lifestyles are not only stressful on our minds and bodies but also they are taxing the planet because they are resource-intensive. According to teachgreenpsych.com (2012), there is a relative difference in the ecological impact of people having natural sleep patterns/cycles and natural appetites compared to those living as most Americans do. There is, therefore, need for extensive research evidences that will be powerful in encouraging people to consider alternative lifestyles that are intimately connected to nature. Such research findings are expected to go a long way into reducing problems related to sleep and appetite and also discouraging resource-intensive lifestyles. Summary of the Current Findings in the Area Some of the findings in this area of sleep, appetite and resource intensive lifestyle indicate that sleep deprivation has some metabolic consequences. Chronic sleep deprivation is a behavior that has mainly emerged over the past 2-3 decades and at the same time, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate globally. This shows a high correlation between the two. According to Knutson et al. (2007), the results of epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that sleep deprivation could play an important role in the heightened prevalence of obesity and/or diabetes. Current findings in this area suggest that the relationship that exists between the risk of weight gain and diabetes, and sleep restriction could involve at least three pathways namely regulation of appetite, alteration of glucose metabolism and decreased energy spending. Studies on the relationship between sleep loss and glucose metabolism indicate that the loss of sleep, especially long-term recurrent deprivation, is associated with adverse metabolic impacts. Some of the studies that sought to understand this used acute total deprivation of sleep and from these, they concluded that long-term sleep loss resulted to adverse effects on the tolerance of glucose. However, this situation is normally corrected by sleep recovery (Knutson et al, 2007). They also revealed that there is a difference in the hormonal and EEG effects of acute total sleep deprivation and recurrent sleep deprivation. Basing on this, the relationship between sleep loss and glucose metabolism in relation to the current lifestyles can best be explained by looking at recurrent sleep deprivation. Chauput ae al (2010) concur with the above findings and states that recurrent sleep deprivation results to undesirable changes in metabolism, for example, the levels of cortisal in the blood increases, the immune response of the body decreases and the ability of the body top handle glucose decreases. The overall effect of this is poor appetite control. Focusing on the relationship between sleep loss and the regulation of appetite, current research in the area of sleep, appetite, and resource intensive lifestyles prove that appetite is regulated by the interaction between neural mechanisms and, hormonal and metabolic signals. According to Taheri et al (2004), the findings show an association between short habitual sleep durations and hunger controlling hormones, leptin and ghrelin. The arcute nucleus of the hypothalamus has two sets of neuronal circuitry that oppose each other. Appetite-inhibiting and appetite simulating signals, and peripheral hormonal signals that affect these regions have been identified. Leptin and ghrelin are among the peripheral signals, both asserting opposing effects on appetite and energy expenditure. Leptin is an appetite-inhibiting hormone while ghrelin increases food intake and appetite. Leptin increases energy expenditure whereas ghrelin decreases. Findings on the two peripheral hormonal signals indicate a persistence of sleep-related leptin increase. The same studies have revealed that in a 24-hour period, there is a nocturnal rise in ghrelin. Generally, sleep deprivation is associated with lower leptin levels and higher ghrelin, thus the likelihood of restricted energy use but increased hunger and appetite (Taheri et al 2004). This is also to say that more or adequate sleep encourages the release of more leptin hence reducing or restricting energy use. At the same time, ghrelin increases at night whether the person sleeps or not and this is the reason behind post-diner rebound. This means that people who are awake at night are more likely to eat due to the effects of ghrelin compared to those who are sleeping. However, the levels of ghrelin reduce in the second-half of the sleeping period despite the persistence of the fasting condition. Similar to the above findings, a study which used functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) indicates that the region of the brain that functions in stimulating appetite was more active after the loss of a night’s sleep. Steakley (2012) explains that in this study, the researchers compared the images of brain scans of normally weighing males before and after a night of normal sleep and after a night without sleep. Supportive of these findings are results revealing the effects of orexin A and orexin B, also known as hypocretin A and hypocretin B respectively. Rexin A and orexin B/hypocretin A and hypocretin B are excitatory neuropeptides that stimulate the intake of food and have wake promoting effects. According to Cauter et al. (2007), all the brain's major wake promoting centers also activate neuropeptite Y neurons. These are appetite-promoting neurons located in the arcute nucleus. These findings increase the possibility that lack of sufficient sleep could affect the composition and amount of non-homeostatic food intake related to psychosocial and emotional factors in humans. Consistent with these findings is epidemiological data which reveal an association between sleep deprivation and irregular eating habits, excessive food seasoning, snacking between meals, and reduced consumption of vegetables. This already indicates although there are some hormones like ghrelin that encourage food intake and could help maintain a good appetite for food, sleep deprivation negatively affects appetite by creating a craving for and encouraging the consumption of processed foods like snacks instead of non-processed foods like vegetables, fruits and whole meals. This is likely to be the reason explaining the relationship between sleep loss and weight gain as explained by Chaput and Tremblay (2009) and Jean and Darryn (2010). These authors explain the correlation between the consumption of processed foods and obesity and their findings indicate that such foods increase risks of weight gain compared to non-processed foods. Findings indicating similar impacts are given by the American Society of Sleep Medicine (2007). According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2007), persons who do not adequate sleep are unlikely to cook their meals. Instead, they become depent and on fast foods which in turn interferes with appetite for other types of foods like whole grain and vegetables. Generally, these findings also show that by regulating energy expenditure and encouraging excessive food intake, especially processed foods, sleep deprivation has contributed significantly to diabetes and obesity. In line with other findings in the area, information from the Australian Chronobiology Society (2011) reveals that when we lack sufficient sleep, it confuses our appetite hormones. For example, the natural appetite suppressant of the body could turn to become the body's appetite stimulant. This means that there will be more hormones stimulating appetite than those suppressing it leading to excessive eating. Overall, research in this area reveals that spending less time to sleep leaves more time for drinking and eating. This means people spent more resources for eating and leisure than they would have if they followed normal sleep cycles. In a nutshell, whether sleep deprivation reduces appetite or increases it abnormally, it still remains to be a negative impact. Current Research in the Area Current research in the area of sleep, appetite and resource intensive lifestyle seek to find ways of controlling appetite in situations of sleep deprivation. One of these new researches was conducted by Bowen et al (2008). This study sought to find out if some types of foods can be recommended for persons experiencing recurrent sleep deprivation to help them reduce their appetite and consequently, their food intake and the associated risk of obesity and even diabetes. According to Bowen et al (2008), satisfaction with food is controlled by appetite-regulatory gut hormones. The important point of focus, therefore, is the type of food that quickly induces satisfaction in order to limit food intake among people who sleep for less hours. This study mainly focused on the role of carbohydrates and protein foods on acute appetite responses both in overweight and lean men. It compared the effects of various carbohydrate and protein diets on the post-prandial appetite ratings, appetite hormones and ad libitum energy intake (EI) in lean and overweight men. The study involved three randomized double-blinded cross-over tests aimed at testing appetite responses to liquid preloads over 3-4 hours followed by a buffet meal to evaluate ad libitum EI. Appetite responses were evaluated in terms of ghrelin levels, appetite ratings, cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1. Findings from this study indicate that EI is 10% higher after the consumption of carbohydrates of glucose preloads compared to protein preloads. Protein intake was followed by prolonged increase of GLP-1 and cholecystokinin. This lasted for approximately 2 hours. Protein ingestion was also followed by the suppression of ghrelin for about 3-4 hours compared to glucose. This study therefore reveals that unlike proteins, carbohydrates induce more appetite and this encourages the eating of highly processed foods. Compared to whole foods like apples, beans, soya or a bowl of porridge, refined foods like snack packs of processed meals or bread are less satisfying. Part of the appetite control of the body involves receptors in the stomach and esophagus which register food as it passes the food tract. When food touches on these receptors, it leads to a chain of reaction that informs the brain that the person has had enough. Unrefined foods are rough and their impact on these receptors is higher thus inducing satisfaction faster. However, refined foods have a softy texture and because of this, they barely make any impression on these receptors. The effect of this is that the person's body lets them continue eating. At the same time, their soft texture makes it easy for a person to overeat them compared to unprocessed foods and proteins like meat (unminced), beans, soya among others. This situation is worsened by the salty or intense sweet flavors of processed foods and many carbohydrates which makes them hard to stop eating. It is not easy to over eat the latter types of food. In relation to the above, new research in this area is focusing on how to maximize research findings on sleep and appetite in the prevention, control and management of diabetes as one of the most hazardous diseases that is ravaging the human society. Ethical Considerations One of the general ethical considerations when researching this topic is that all the participants must be people who are fit to participate in scientific research. This includes physical and mental soundness. For example, no participant suffering from any mental or emotional disorder will be allowed to participate. Research on such a topic touches directly on the lives of the participants and because of this, the research questions should not be intrusive. For example, participants will not be asked if they have an eating disorder or not. Informed consent must be obtained from all the participants before they can participate in the study. No form of deception or coercion will be used to make them participate in the study. Before the study, they should be fully aware of the nature and purpose of the study and from this, they will be free to choose either to participate or not. They should also be aware of their right to withdraw from the study at any time, if they no longer feel free to continue participating. Confidentiality is also important that participants are assured of anonymity during and after the study. The entire research process should be free of harmful procedures, for example, the use of drugs that could alter sleep patterns or interfere with the eating habits of the participants. In addition, the results of the study should be beneficial enough to justify the use of human subjects. Research in this topic also requires the consideration of gender and diversity issues. The research should be gender sensitive and thus avoid using terms or phrases that could show any form of gender discrimination or bias, for example, branding ladies as choosy. it should also recognize gender differences in food eating. For example, ladies are less likely to eat as much as men of equal body weight in a single meal. It should also consider the physiological states of the participants. Women who are expecting, for example, are not be rated on the same scale as women who are not expectant ans men because their energy requirements are higher. This means that if the study will involve cross gender participants, to should take into consideration these issues. It should the research should respect diversity in terms of religion, culture and even sexual orientation. For example, the study sold not be discriminative to people who are gay or lesbian since the two issues do not have a direct relation. If this is not avoided, it could lead to biased interpretation of results. This is important given that the study focuses not on the mental needs of the participants but on the impacts of lifestyles on sleep and how this in turn affects appetite and their impacts on the environment. Future Directions in the Area of Sleep, Appetite and Resource Intensive Knowledge obtained from the various studies on biopsychology are increasingly being applied in various health problems like Parkinsonism, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and many injury- or drug-induced cognitive and behavioral disorders. These findings should be extended to helping individuals sleeping for less hours gain a higher control of their appetites. It could be difficult to make people increase their sleeping durations and improve their sleeping patterns owing to the nature of their environments and busy schedules. Given that research in this area has shown a high association between less sleeping hours, poor appetite control, and weight gain, it thus follows that the best way of helping people who do not sleep for long hours to improve their appetite control and EI is dietary manipulations. Future research in the area should therefore focus on additional dietary manipulations that could be helpful in reducing food intake among this group of people. These studies should focus on how to control the various hormones responsible to controlling food intake such as appetite inducing hormones for example ghrelin, as well as appetite regulatory gut hormones. They should also focus on improving and proofing findings of existing suggestive studies like that of Bowen et al (2008) and, Flood and Rolls (2007). Flood and Rolls (2007) suggest that soup preloads in various forms reduces the intake of energy meal. A better understanding and manipulation of this should be provided to enhance the effects of its application on people experiencing recurrence of sleep deprivation. For example, they should seek to know what ingredients should best be used to make the soup to increase its ability to reduce appetite and craving for fast foods which are associated with high risk of obesity. These improvements will form the basis of dietary advice for people suffering from sleep loss or sleep deprivation to ensure that their many hours of being wake do not make them overindulge in eating and drinking ans more so, eat foods that increases the risks of being obese. Such evidence-based advice will give proper eating guidelines for enhancing health and fitness among these people, and possible, naturally induce sleep. It is also important to note that such improvements will not only be useful in reducing the risks of obesity among people who sleep less as a result of their busy schedules and environments but also, those suffering from emotional disorders like depression. People suffering from depression often experience sleeping problems and even abnormal hunger pangs. This predisposes them to the risks of becoming obese and developing diabetes. There are even research results that already indicate increasing prevalence of obesity among depressed individuals. This means that future research on this area should not only focus on helping people affected by their lifestyles but also people suffering from depression, anxiety and other sleep-depriving emotional disorders because the problem of sleep and appetite among such individuals could be worsened by their emotional states. References American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2007). Sleep Problems May Affect A Person's Diet. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070611074115.htm Australasian Chronobiology Society (2011). Sleep shortage to blame for obesity epidemic? Retrieved from http://w3.unisa.edu.au/sleep/newsandevents/default.asp Bowen J Noakes M Clifton P. Role of protein and carbohydrate sources on acute appetite responses in lean and overweight men. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2008; 65: S71–78. Chaput J. and Tremblay, A. (2009).The glucostatic theory of appetite control and the risk of obesity and diabetes. International Journal of Obesity 2009; 33: 46-53 Chaput, J, Klingenberg, L & Sjodin, AM 2010, 'Sleep restriction and appetite control: waking to a problem?', American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 91(3): 822-823. Flood J. Rolls B. (2007) Soup preloads in a variety of forms reduce meal energy intake. Appetite.; 49(3): 626–634 Jean, G. and Darryn, w. (2010). Slimming Slumber? How Sleep Deprivation Manipulates Appetite and Weight. Nutrition Today: March/April 2010 - Volume 45 - Issue 2 - pp 77-8 Knutson, K. Spiegel, K. Penev, P. Cauter, E. (2007). The Metabolic Consequences of Sleep Deprivation. Sleep Med Rev. 2007 June; 11(3): 163–178. Steakley, L. (2012). How lack of sleep affects the brain and may increase appetite, weight gain. scope. Standford School of Medicine. 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