The Griffon News

By Anna Faltermeiger

Not getting enough sleep could be making you fat.

According to a review of recent research published in the November issue of the journal “Archives of Disease in Childhood,” a link has been found between a lack of sleep with obesity.

A 2004 study, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I, found that people who reported getting less than seven hours of sleep a night were more likely to be obese. These same people were also more likely to develop obesity in the future.

The same study found that people who got six hours of sleep each night were 27 percent more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine hours of sleep.

In the study that recently appeared in “Archives of Disease in Childhood,” researcher Shahad Taheri said childhood obesity often followed people into adulthood.

Carol Guillaume, Watkins Memorial Health Center physician specializing in sleep disorders, said this link between obesity and sleep deprivation was partially caused by a chemical imbalance in the body.

She said the imbalance dealt primarily with two hormones, leptin and ghrelin. Leptin, known as the “fullness hormone,” went down with sleep deprivation. Ghrelin, known as the “hunger hormone,” tended to be higher with sleep deprivation.

Thus, a person who’s sleep deprived will be more likely to feel hungry and less likely to feel full.

She said college students were especially affected by lack of sleep and erratic sleep patterns. “Whether they’re up studying for tests, and losing sleep because of that, or up with their friends socializing.”

Guillaume said college students should get eight to nine hours of sleep each night. She recommended going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day because it helps the body know when to be sleepy and when to be alert.

“The body likes consistency,” she said.

Guillaume also recommended skipping naps during the day because they promoted sleepiness.

“A lot of times students will take naps to make up for sleep they’ve missed at night,” she said. “It’s good sleep hygiene to avoid naps and get the majority of your sleep at night.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity increases the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease,
osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and some cancers, including breast, colon and endometrial cancers.

Several factors besides sleep contribute to obesity. The CDC lists genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture and socioeconomic status all as affecting a person’s body
weight.