Sleep is vital for life. Getting adequate, restorative sleep is necessary for your body to function. In fact, recent evidence suggests that the amount of sleep people get can influence their weight. According to the results of the Nurses Health Study (which originally started in 1976), women getting five hours of sleep per night gained more than 33 pounds over the 16 years they were reporting their weight. The findings of the study were presented at the American Thoracic Society's International Conference in San Diego during May, 2006.
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University analyzed the data reported by more than 68,000 women who were 30-55 years old when the study began. Among many health status markers, their weight was recorded every two years following the report of average hours of sleep in 1986. The results showed that yearly weight gain was 2.3 pounds in the five hour per night sleep group and 1.5 pounds in the six hour sleep group, as compared with the women who slept 7 hours per night.
Scientists cannot say that fewer hours of sleep or poor quality sleep causes weight gain, just that there is an association. Sleep quantity and quality has also be associated with poor glucose control and higher levels of hemoglobin A1c, which may possibly explain these findings. Past research has shown that the ideal amount of sleep for men is 7 hours, with higher and lower amounts of sleep resulting in increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, sleep quality and quantity may influence conditons like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on October 1, 2006 02:20 PM
