Lack of sleep ‘leads to obesity’

For many years, nutritionists and health experts have advised people hoping to lose weight that they need to get an optimum amount of sleep, and their words of warning have been proven correct in a new study.

The report, published in The American Journal of Human Biology, explains that lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure.

Dr Kristen Knutson, from the University of Chicago, said that obesity generally develops when energy intake is greater than expenditure and, although diet and physical activity play an important part, an additional factor is an inadequate amount of sleep.

“A review of the evidence shows how short or poor quality sleep is linked to increased risk of obesity by de-regulating appetite, leading to increased energy consumption,” she noted.

It follows recent research carried out by experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who found that sleep deprived people consume an average of 549 additional calories per day more than those who have a restful night.