Reduced sleep as an obesity risk factor

Abstract

Poor sleep has increasingly gained attention as a potential contributor to the recent obesity epidemic. The increased prevalence of obesity in Western nations over the past half‐century has been paralleled by a severe reduction in sleep duration. Physiological studies suggest reduced sleep may impact hormonal regulation of appetite. Prospective studies suggest reduced habitual sleep duration as assessed by self‐report is an independent risk factor for an increased rate of weight gain and incident obesity. Cross‐sectional studies have demonstrated that the association between reduced sleep and obesity persists when sleep habits are measured objectively, that the association is as a result of elevations in fat and not muscle mass and that this association is not related to sleep apnoea. Thus, reduced sleep appears to represent a novel, independent risk factor for increased weight gain. Further research is needed to determine whether interventions aimed at increasing sleep may be useful in combating obesity.