Sleep Deprivation Might be Linked to Weight Gain
Great news from the American Thoracic Society: Getting a good night's sleep might help you to keep slim.
Research presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference followed 70,000 women over 16 years. The researchers - from Ohio's Case Western Reserve University - found that those women who regularly slept for five hours or less were a third more likely to put on 33lbs over the period. Short sleepers were 15% more likely to become technically obese than those who slept longer.
Of course, a link does not necessarily mean causality. However the researchers are convinced that their results had nothing to do with short sleepers taking less exercise or eating more.
In fact, the short sleepers in the study tended to eat less that the others - and still put on weight.
Possible explanations for the results include changes in hormonal activity caused by sleep and people who sleep less being less prone to involuntary daytime activity such as fidgeting.
Whatever the reason, the research does suggest that getting a good night's sleep might be a useful part of a weight control regime for some people.
Research presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference followed 70,000 women over 16 years. The researchers - from Ohio's Case Western Reserve University - found that those women who regularly slept for five hours or less were a third more likely to put on 33lbs over the period. Short sleepers were 15% more likely to become technically obese than those who slept longer.
Of course, a link does not necessarily mean causality. However the researchers are convinced that their results had nothing to do with short sleepers taking less exercise or eating more.
In fact, the short sleepers in the study tended to eat less that the others - and still put on weight.
Possible explanations for the results include changes in hormonal activity caused by sleep and people who sleep less being less prone to involuntary daytime activity such as fidgeting.
Whatever the reason, the research does suggest that getting a good night's sleep might be a useful part of a weight control regime for some people.
