Physical Wellness

Abnormal Sleep Patterns Linked to Obesity Risks

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Mar 02, 2017 07:20 AM EST

The latest study reveals that abnormal sleeping patterns place a person at a higher risk for being overweight or for t hose genetically predisposed to be obese. Too much sleep or the lack of it can lead to overweight issues and obesity.

BBC reveals that a study conducted at the University of Glasgow that there is no clear link between sleep duration and the body weight of those people with a low generic risk of obesity. Instead, they have seen remarkable impacts on the effects of short sleep - less than seven hours a night and long sleep - more than nine hours to the weight of a person. Daytime napping and shifting at work were also included in the research.

Results of the study revealed that people with a higher genetical risk of obesity, who took short-sleep and long-sleep durations placed them in greater risks of getting overweight compared to people who have a genetic risk of obesity but slept for normal durations of between seven and nine hours a night.

Long sleepers that are genetically at risk of obesity were found out to be 4kg heavier than normal sleepers while short sleepers are 2kg heavier than normal sleepers with high genetic obesity risks. The results gathered were purely derived from the sleep patterns of the subject and did not consider the socio-demographic factors of the test population.

Meanwhile, Science Daily reports that people who do not get enough sleep are most likely to get sick that those who enjoys sufficient sleep. The study was conducted from 11 pairs of identical twins with different sleep patterns. Blood samples revealed that the twin with shorter sleep duration displayed a depressed immune system in comparison to his or her sibling.

According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center at Harborview Medical Center, 7 or more hours of sleep is ideal for optimal health.

The immune system function bests when it gets sufficient sleep. However, the lack of it or anything above the recommended hours or sleep can put a person at risk for obesity and other weight related problems.

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