While obesity is a complex health condition, research continues to show that one of the factors associated with increasing body weight is a lack of sleep. A new research study explored this relationship between obesity and sleep duration in teens, a group that has been understudied in this regard.
For this
new obesity study, investigators collected information from over 700 male and female teens (15 years of age on average) in regards to weekday sleeping habits, weekend sleeping habits, diet, physical activity, body weight, body mass index, and body fat level. The study investigators reported:
- Less sleep overall was related to a higher body mass index in teen boys.
- The association between less sleep and higher body mass index was greater in middle school students compared to high school students.
- Teen girls showed a link between higher body mass index and lack of sleep on the weekends, but not weekdays.
These study results confirm earlier reports on the link between sleep and obesity risk; however, these new results highlight the importance of sleep for teens, particularly teen boys. Teens can frequently be exposed to many kinds of stressors that might impact sleep levels. Pressure from friends, peers, teachers, and relatives to meet certain expectations are a part of most teens daily lives. This pressure can impact the quality and duration of teens' sleep. The link between a lack of sleep and obesity involves many factors, which have been discussed in one of my
earlier blogs. Getting enough sleep is one of many important health habits that we should all adopt.
In addition to getting enough sleep, developing good eating and exercise habits are important for maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life. My
easy diet plan is a simple and
delicious way to manage one's body weight.
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