By Elizabeth Barker
Snoozing for fewer than six hours a night could raise your obesity risk, a new report from the American Journal of Human Biology shows. In their review of past studies on sleep restriction and weight gain, the report’s authors found that lack of sleep may mess with hormones involved in appetite control. For instance, inadequate sleep appears to negatively impact the release of leptin (a hormone that lets the brain know when the body is satiated). When leptin levels are thrown out of whack, the report’s authors explain, people tend to overeat to achieve a feeling of fullness.
The link between sleep deprivation and higher body mass index may be stronger in children and adolescents than in adults, according to the report’s findings. Still, lack of sleep among adults appears to be a key player in the obesity epidemic. “In the United States, 18 percent of adults are estimated to get less than six hours of sleep, which equates to 53 million short sleepers who may be at risk of associated obesity,” notes report author Kristen Knutson.
Not only a potential factor in increased obesity risk, sleep restriction was also found to harm health by interfering with the body’s metabolism of blood sugar and raising blood pressure (a major risk factor for heart disease).
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