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Sleep-obesity link found

15/12/2007

Adults who sleep between eight and nine hours a night are most likely to achieve an optimal weight, scientists say.

Research published in today's Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows women with clinical medical problems are more likely to be obese if they have either very long or short sleep times.

The study, conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, identified non-smoking, alcohol-drinking, hypertension, diabetes and young age among the other factors predicting obesity.

"Whether or not manipulating sleep time in adults will prevent additional weight gain or facilitate weight loss is unclear," Kenneth Nugent of Texas Tech University said.

"This question will require therapeutic trials in which sleep hygiene is addressed during weight loss studies."

The relationship was not identified in men, the study noted, but it did put forward one potential reason for the link – obstructive sleep apnea.

This involves obese people struggling to breathe because fat in their throat blocks the airway – implying their obesity affects their sleep patterns, rather than vice versa.