More and more research is supporting the theory that sleep and weight have a direct connection. As yet, it seems like the exact connection between the two is unknown, but the research keeps on coming:
Sleep May Help Kids Keep Slim
Children who get more rest less prone to weight problems, study finds
By Juhie Bhatia, HealthDay Reporter
Find More
Marital Conflict Not a Major Culprit in Child's Behavior: Study
Health Tip: Giving Your Child Medicine
Today's Health News
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Eating right and being active are well-known ways to try to keep a child's weight in check, but a new study points to another potential weapon in the fight against childhood obesity -- sleep.
Researchers at Northwestern University found that children who get more sleep tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) and are less likely to be overweight five years later, than kids who get less sleep.
Sleeping an extra hour a night reduced the chance of being overweight from 36 percent to 30 percent in young children, and from 34 percent to 30 percent in older children.
The study is published in the January/February issue of the journal Child Development.
Children who get more rest less prone to weight problems, study finds
By Juhie Bhatia, HealthDay Reporter
Find More
Marital Conflict Not a Major Culprit in Child's Behavior: Study
Health Tip: Giving Your Child Medicine
Today's Health News
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Eating right and being active are well-known ways to try to keep a child's weight in check, but a new study points to another potential weapon in the fight against childhood obesity -- sleep.
Researchers at Northwestern University found that children who get more sleep tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) and are less likely to be overweight five years later, than kids who get less sleep.
Sleeping an extra hour a night reduced the chance of being overweight from 36 percent to 30 percent in young children, and from 34 percent to 30 percent in older children.
The study is published in the January/February issue of the journal Child Development.
Lack of Sleep Linked to Weight Gain
Food intake doesn't explain extra girth, study finds
By Anne Scheck, HealthDay Reporter
Find More
Sleep May Help Kids Keep Slim
Teens' Sleeplessness Leads to Falling Grades
Heart Rhythm Gene Linked to Sudden Infant Deaths
Today's Health News
THURSDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Getting a decent night's sleep apparently does more than provide good rest -- it seems to curb the number of pounds women put on as they age, according to a new study.
Although the study didn't show a definite cause-and-effect relationship, there was a significant link between inadequate sleep and weight gain, said lead investigator Dr. Sanjay Patel. Women who got only five hours of sleep a night, on average, gained substantially more weight than those who routinely had seven hours' worth of shuteye.
"We do know that sleep-deprived people generally pay less attention to their health," said Patel, an assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland. However, there's no proof that any one factor, from a poor diet to lack of exercise, accounted for the weight difference, he said.
In fact, women who got seven hours or more of sleep actually ate more than those who got five hours' sleep. And the exercise habits were about the same, too -- although the group that slept a healthier seven hours tended to exercise a little more, Patel said.
The women were part of the Nurses Health Study, which followed more than 68,000 women for 16 years. They were asked to report their weight and lifestyle regimen every two years. By the end of the study, women who slept five hours a night were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain -- defined as an increase of 33 pounds or more -- and 15 percent more likely to become obese, compared with women who slept seven hours. And women who slept for six hours were 12 percent more likely to experience major weight gain and 6 percent more likely to become obese over the study period, compared with women who slept seven hours a night.
Food intake doesn't explain extra girth, study finds
By Anne Scheck, HealthDay Reporter
Find More
Sleep May Help Kids Keep Slim
Teens' Sleeplessness Leads to Falling Grades
Heart Rhythm Gene Linked to Sudden Infant Deaths
Today's Health News
THURSDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Getting a decent night's sleep apparently does more than provide good rest -- it seems to curb the number of pounds women put on as they age, according to a new study.
Although the study didn't show a definite cause-and-effect relationship, there was a significant link between inadequate sleep and weight gain, said lead investigator Dr. Sanjay Patel. Women who got only five hours of sleep a night, on average, gained substantially more weight than those who routinely had seven hours' worth of shuteye.
"We do know that sleep-deprived people generally pay less attention to their health," said Patel, an assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland. However, there's no proof that any one factor, from a poor diet to lack of exercise, accounted for the weight difference, he said.
In fact, women who got seven hours or more of sleep actually ate more than those who got five hours' sleep. And the exercise habits were about the same, too -- although the group that slept a healthier seven hours tended to exercise a little more, Patel said.
The women were part of the Nurses Health Study, which followed more than 68,000 women for 16 years. They were asked to report their weight and lifestyle regimen every two years. By the end of the study, women who slept five hours a night were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain -- defined as an increase of 33 pounds or more -- and 15 percent more likely to become obese, compared with women who slept seven hours. And women who slept for six hours were 12 percent more likely to experience major weight gain and 6 percent more likely to become obese over the study period, compared with women who slept seven hours a night.
Diet & Fitness
Search Health:
Four Low-Tech Slim-Down Strategies
by Marin Gazzaniga for MSN Health & Fitness
Find More
7 Weight Loss Mistakes
Eat, Drink And Be Fit
Walk Off the Weight this Winter
More Diet & Fitness Articles
You know that you’re supposed to reduce your calorie intake and up your exercise. You’ve stocked the fridge with celery, raw cauliflower and cottage cheese and bought a new pair of sneakers for inspiration. Perhaps you should also consider throwing away the alarm clock or getting a dog. Check out some recent studies that offer other habits to help you shed pounds.
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Catch those z’sGetting more sleep doesn’t just help the bags under your eyes, it may reduce the saddlebags around your hips, too. Research presented in October at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity conference suggested that there’s a correlation between short sleep time (five to six hours) and being overweight.
The Quebec Family Study tracked 740 men and women for several decades, monitoring their nightly sleep, body fat and blood levels. Those who reported sleeping just five to six hours had lower than predicted levels of leptin, a hormone involved in weight management, than normal sleepers (six to eight hours). “Leptin decreases energy intake and increases energy expenditure,” explains Angelo Tremblay, professor at Laval University in Quebec. This means we eat less and burn more. Lower levels of leptin could cause the opposite effect (eating more and burning less), leading to weight gain.
These findings are consistent with a study out of Chicago that found the same results with leptin. That study also found that sleep deprivation causes an increase of the hormone ghrelin, which produces cravings.
We all know that our body shapes reflect what we eat—and how much we exercise. Are we also defined by our sleep habits? Tremblay offers a qualified yes: “It seems to be important for everyone to get enough sleep in order to regulate hormones that are important to energy balance.”
Search Health:
Four Low-Tech Slim-Down Strategies
by Marin Gazzaniga for MSN Health & Fitness
Find More
7 Weight Loss Mistakes
Eat, Drink And Be Fit
Walk Off the Weight this Winter
More Diet & Fitness Articles
You know that you’re supposed to reduce your calorie intake and up your exercise. You’ve stocked the fridge with celery, raw cauliflower and cottage cheese and bought a new pair of sneakers for inspiration. Perhaps you should also consider throwing away the alarm clock or getting a dog. Check out some recent studies that offer other habits to help you shed pounds.
advertisement
dap("&PG=HEADF2&AP=1089",300,250);
Catch those z’sGetting more sleep doesn’t just help the bags under your eyes, it may reduce the saddlebags around your hips, too. Research presented in October at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity conference suggested that there’s a correlation between short sleep time (five to six hours) and being overweight.
The Quebec Family Study tracked 740 men and women for several decades, monitoring their nightly sleep, body fat and blood levels. Those who reported sleeping just five to six hours had lower than predicted levels of leptin, a hormone involved in weight management, than normal sleepers (six to eight hours). “Leptin decreases energy intake and increases energy expenditure,” explains Angelo Tremblay, professor at Laval University in Quebec. This means we eat less and burn more. Lower levels of leptin could cause the opposite effect (eating more and burning less), leading to weight gain.
These findings are consistent with a study out of Chicago that found the same results with leptin. That study also found that sleep deprivation causes an increase of the hormone ghrelin, which produces cravings.
We all know that our body shapes reflect what we eat—and how much we exercise. Are we also defined by our sleep habits? Tremblay offers a qualified yes: “It seems to be important for everyone to get enough sleep in order to regulate hormones that are important to energy balance.”
