Can the lack of sleep be making me gain weight?

Recent research indicates that people who don't get enough sleep tend to
weigh more -- and that sleep can affect levels of the appetite-regulating
hormones leptin and ghrelin.
At the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's (UPMC) Sleep Medicine
Center, tests show that there is a strong relationship between good sleep
and good health. Not sleeping affects hormonal balance, appetite and mood
swings. Two out of three Americans are overweight, and almost one in five
are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers at the Sleep Disorders Center at Sentara Norfolk General
Hospital in Virginia conducted two studies, each included 1,000 men and
women, and they found that those who reported sleeping less tended to
weigh more.

"People who are overweight may have less restful sleep due to heartburn,
snoring or more serious sleep disorders like sleep apnea or night eating
syndrome," said Dr. Michelle May, author of Am I Hungry? What To Do
When Diets Don't Work. Studies of healthy young men indicated
that the levels of the hormone that tells your brain to stop eating (leptin)
and the hormone that turns on hunger (ghrelin) were out of whack when
there was sleep deprivation. Also, sleep deprivation affects memory, disease
resistance, and leaves people unable to stay alert in school, at jobs and while
driving vehicles. Sleepy people are also hungrier!
Information from the National Sleep Foundation

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