Another study confirms that obesity and lack of sleep don’t mix. In research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that obese kids who have low levels of sleep run a higher chance of contracting chronic diseases like stroke and diabetes.
The “small study” titled “Sleep Duration Predicts Cardiometabolic Risk in Obese Adolescents”from researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and Baylor University, categorized fewer than 8 1/2 hours of sleep as low levels of sleep. Findings of the latest research corroborate earlier findings that link inadequate sleep to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases across all age groups.
For the purpose of the study, researchers analyzed 37 obese teens aged between 11 and 17. Prior to the commencement of the study, the researchers took into consideration parameters like blood sugar, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure level, cholesterol level and waist circumference as these were important risk factors for type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A cardio-metabolic risk score was calculated with the help of these parameters.
The analysis revealed that only a third of the participants adhered to the stipulated activity period of an hour per day. Majority of them slept for only 7 hours every night. Even during this duration, they woke up once during the night.
In the study researchers established that lack of sleep was a major indicator of cardio-metabolic risk.
“The strong association between sleep duration and cardio-metabolic risk score independent of the effects of body composition and physical activity suggest a potential influence of sleep duration on cardio-metabolic health in obese adolescents,” says lead author Heidi IglayReger, PhD, supervisor of the Physical Activity Laboratory at the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center said in Health Newsline.
Source: Pediatrics