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Summary There is strong evidence that lack of sleep is contributing to the obesity epidemic, says research.
In common weight-loss advice, get more sleep, should figure just as prominently as eat less and move more, two researchers in Canada argue.There is strong evidence that lack of sleep is contributing to the obesity epidemic, they said, and factors that contribute to obesity that have been given less attention than diet and exercise may at least partly explain why weight-loss efforts fail, according to the researchers.Among the behavioural factors that have been shown to impede weight loss, insufficient sleep is gaining attention and recognition, the researchers write in their editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.The researchers pointed to a 2010 study in which participants were randomly assigned to sleep either 5.5 hours or 8.5 hours every night for 14 days. They all cut their daily calorie intake by 680 calories, and slept in a lab. Participants who slept for 5.5 hours lost 55 percent less body fat, and 60 percent more of their lean body mass than those who slept for longer.In other words, the sleep-deprived people held onto their fat tissue, and instead lost muscle.In another study, published in July, researchers looked at 245 women in a six-month weight loss program and found that those who slept more than seven hours a night, and those who reported better quality sleep, were 33 percent more likely to succeed in their weight-loss efforts.Peoples success in weight-loss programs varies greatly, and including advice about sleep in weight-loss programs could improve success rates, the researchers said.
