Less Sleep Could Mean More Weight
Less Sleep Could Mean More Weight
Jan. 10, 2005 -- If your New Year's resolution includes losing some weight, it's a safe bet that exercising more is high on your list of priorities. But if your plans include skipping some sleep to get in those trips to the gym, you could be undermining your weight loss plan before you get started.
A growing number of Americans are both overweight and sleep deprived, and there is mounting evidence that the two are related. Several recent studies have suggested that sleep deprivation may at least partially explain the epidemic of obesity in the U.S, and now new research strengthens the argument.
Investigators surveyed roughly 1,000 people about their sleep patterns and also determined if they were normal weight, overweight, or obese by calculating their body mass index. Total sleep times tended to decrease as body weight increased, with the exception of people who were morbidly obese.Do you have trouble sleeping?Take this quick quiz.
The difference in total sleep time between patients who were normal weight and those who weren't was only 16 minutes per day, or 1.86 hours over a week.
The findings are reported in the Jan. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Lead researcher Robert D. Vorona, MD, says even though his study does not prove that sleep deprivation leads to obesity, the research as a whole certainly points in that direction. Vorona is an assistant professor of internal medicine and a sleep specialist at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
"Obviously there are reasons besides curtailed sleep to explain why Americans are increasingly obese," he tells WebMD. "Lack of exercise, supersized portions, and other things are certainly important. But it is also very possible that the reductions in sleep that so many of us are experiencing may also be playing a role."
According to a poll conducted in 2000 by the National Sleep Foundation, the average American gets just under seven hours of sleep each night -- about an hour less than is optimal for most people. That is about 90 minutes less than Americans tended to sleep in the early 1900s.
Less Sleep Could Mean More Weight
Study Offers More Evidence of Sleep Deprivation, Obesity Link
Jan. 10, 2005 -- If your New Year's resolution includes losing some weight, it's a safe bet that exercising more is high on your list of priorities. But if your plans include skipping some sleep to get in those trips to the gym, you could be undermining your weight loss plan before you get started.
A growing number of Americans are both overweight and sleep deprived, and there is mounting evidence that the two are related. Several recent studies have suggested that sleep deprivation may at least partially explain the epidemic of obesity in the U.S, and now new research strengthens the argument.
Sleep Times Predicted Weight
Investigators surveyed roughly 1,000 people about their sleep patterns and also determined if they were normal weight, overweight, or obese by calculating their body mass index. Total sleep times tended to decrease as body weight increased, with the exception of people who were morbidly obese.Do you have trouble sleeping?
The difference in total sleep time between patients who were normal weight and those who weren't was only 16 minutes per day, or 1.86 hours over a week.
The findings are reported in the Jan. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Lead researcher Robert D. Vorona, MD, says even though his study does not prove that sleep deprivation leads to obesity, the research as a whole certainly points in that direction. Vorona is an assistant professor of internal medicine and a sleep specialist at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
"Obviously there are reasons besides curtailed sleep to explain why Americans are increasingly obese," he tells WebMD. "Lack of exercise, supersized portions, and other things are certainly important. But it is also very possible that the reductions in sleep that so many of us are experiencing may also be playing a role."
Sleep, Obesity 'A Two-Way Street'
According to a poll conducted in 2000 by the National Sleep Foundation, the average American gets just under seven hours of sleep each night -- about an hour less than is optimal for most people. That is about 90 minutes less than Americans tended to sleep in the early 1900s.
