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Lack of Sleep Increases Risk of Obesity
For adults with chronic health problems such as heart disease and diabetes, those who don't get enough sleep are more likely to be obese. This latest study "suggests that adults should sleep 8 to 9 hours per night to maintain optimal weight," says senior researchers Dr. Kenneth Nugent, of Texas Tech University.
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, are from a study of 200 patients all with some chronic condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or arthritis.
Researchers found those who usually slept less than 7 hours a night were 3 times more likely to be obese that those who slept for 8 or 9 hours. For women, short sleepers as well as long sleepers (more than 9 hours a night) were at greater risk.
There is evidence that sleep deprivation increases the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin while decreasing the hunger-suppressing hormone leptin. Of course, longer waking hours also increases the opportunity to eat.
"Whether or not manipulating sleep time in adults will prevent additional weight gain or facilitate weight loss is unclear," Nugent said. "This question will require therapeutic trials in which sleep hygiene is addressed during weight loss studies."