Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Fight Obesity with "Average" Night's Sleep


A new study, prompted by the current obesity epidemic, has researchers examining sleep duration and the impact on weight gain. According to the authors, Jean-Philippe Chaput, MSc, from Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, and colleagues:. "Current treatments for obesity have been largely unsuccessful in maintaining long-term weight loss, suggesting the need for new insight into the mechanisms that result in altered metabolism and behavior and may lead to obesity."

It seems that as sleep times have diminished, we have gotten heavier. Past studies have shown that obesity is linked to lack of sleep. The results of the current study show that short duration sleep (5-6 hrs) or long duration (9-10 hrs) sleep may both contribute to weight gain.

Adults, age 21 to 64, who enrolled in the Quebec Family Study, were questioned about their sleep habits. Body composition was measured at baseline. Over half of the participants had at least one parent and one offspring with inccreased body mass index (BMI 32 or greater). The group was divided into short, average and long duration sleep times, and was followed for six years. Resting metabolic rates and energy intake was similar in each of the participants. Those who slept less were more physically active. Self reported variables also included gender, smoking habits, shift work, age, employment, total income, menopausal status, and coffee intake.

The group that got an average amount of sleep (7-8 hrs) stayed the slimmest, while the short and long duration sleepers experienced an 88% and 71% increase in body weight respectively. Body fat increased 58% for short sleepers and 94% for long sleepers.

The study is possibly limited by factors that include self-reporting and small study samples. Underlying problems such as sleep disturbed breathing and insomnia should be considered, as well as the role of genetics and obesity.

The authors conclude…” these results, emphasize the need to add sleep duration to the panel of determinants that contribute to weight gain and obesity."
Sleep. 2008;31:517-523. ◦
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