Tag Archives: sleep

Myth: Inadequate Sleep Time Linked to Adult Obesity

Absolutely nothing to do with sleep or obesity

Absolutely nothing to do with sleep or obesity

It’s currently popular to blame inadequate sleep time for overweight and obesity. I found a study supporting that idea in children, but not adults. Here’s the authors’ conclusion:

While shorter sleep duration consistently predicts subsequent weight gain in children, the relationship is not clear in adults. We discuss possible limitations of the current studies: 1.) the diminishing association between short sleep duration on weight gain over time after transition to short sleep, 2.) lack of inclusion of appropriate confounding, mediating, and moderating variables (i.e. sleep complaints and sedentary behavior), and 3.) measurement issues.

I found another analysis from a different team that is skeptical about the association of sleep deprivation and obesity in adults.

Everybody knows adults are getting less sleep now than we did decades ago, right? Well, not really. From Sleep Duration Across the Lifespan: Implications for Health:

Twelve studies, representing data from 15 countries and a time period of approximately 40 years, attempted to document changes in sleep duration over that time period. They found that, overall, there is no consistent evidence that sleep durations worldwide are declining among adults. Sleep duration decreased in six countries, sleep duration increased in seven countries, and mixed results were detected in two (one of which was the USA). In particular, the data from the USA suggest that although mean sleep duration may have actually increased slightly over the past 40 years, the proportion of short sleepers (six hours per night or less) also seems to have increased over the past several decades.

See, it’s complicated. Don’t believe everything you read. Not even this.

Steve Parker, M.D.

 

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Filed under Overweight and Obesity

Exercise Helps With Insomnia, But It May Take Four Months

She'll sleep better, eventually

She’ll sleep better, eventually

The Well blog at the New York Times has details. The study at hand involved only 11 women with insomnia, mostly in their 60s. A key take-away is that it took as long as four months for some  to see an improvement. So don’t get discouraged and stop exercising too soon.

It doesn’t take much exercise.

Read the whole thing (it’s brief).

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Filed under Exercise

Latest Research: 1) Sleep Patterns and Diabetes, 2) Drop Metformin When You Start Insulin?

1) Lack of sleep coupled with disrupted day-night cycles predisposes to diabetes and prediabetes.  Night-shift workers take note.

2) Compared to those using metformin alone, type 2 diabetics who also took insulin needed less insulin and had better blood sugar levels.  Real-world benefits are not entirely clear.

Steve Parker, M.D. 

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Filed under Drugs for Diabetes