New Study Provides More Evidence of Links Between Sleep Habits And Health

Obesity strongly linked with light and heavy sleepers.

A new government study is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and large midsections. Individuals who sleep fewer than six hours a night — or more than nine — are more likely to be obese.

Also linked were light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use.

This new research is additional confimation of the sleep-health link that has been being released through a slew of other studies looking into the same areas (see Better Health News - Obesity And Sleep).

"The data is all coming together that short sleepers and long sleepers don't do so well," said Dr. Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

This new study, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the CDC), was based on door-to-door surveys of 87,000 U.S. adults from 2004 through 2006.

Considering the type of study, survey responses, certain factors cannot be made crystal clear... Does smoking cause sleeplessness or does sleeplessness prompt smoking? The study also did not account for other factors like depression, heavy eating and other health problems.

Results for obesity: About 33 percent of those who slept less than six hours were obese, and 26 percent for those who got nine or more. Normal sleepers were the thinnest group, with obesity at 22 percent.

For alcohol users, those who were the biggest drinkers were also the least sleepers.

In another measure, nearly half of those who slept nine hours or more each night were physically inactive in their leisure time, which was worse even than the lightest sleepers and the proper sleepers. Many of those who sleep nine hours or more may have serious health problems that make exercise difficult.

Other studies have found inadequate sleep is tied to appetite-influencing hormone imbalances and a higher incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure, noted James Gangwisch, a respected Columbia University sleep researcher.

"We're getting to the point that they may start recommending getting enough sleep as a standard approach to weight loss and the prevention of obesity," said Gangwisch, who was not involved in the study.