Sleep excess, deprivation may both effect body weight: study

A new study out of South Korea's Seoul National University College of Medicine has found weight implications associated with both excess sleep and a lack of sleep. The research, which was recently published in the BMC Public Health journal, evaluated 133,608 individuals aged from 40- to 69-years-old. Too much sleep may negatively effect cholesterol levels, as well.

The study evaluated men and women who slept more than ten hours per night and less than six hours per night. Effects were mostly the same between both men and women, with only some variations. The research hints that both too much and too little sleep could cause weight gain and metabolic syndrome, with too much sleep surprisingly having worse effects.

The study revealed that men who slept for less than six hours per night were more likely to have a larger waist circumference, while more than ten hours of sleep a night was associated with both excessive triglycerides and a higher waist circumference.

The same was true for women, only worse effects were observed with excessive sleep. Per the study, women who slept more than ten hours per night were also found to have higher blood sugar levels and lower good HDL cholesterol levels. Among the volunteers evaluated, people were more likely to under- rather than over-sleep.

This indicates that there could possibly be a gender difference in the effects of disturbed sleep patterns. Excessive sleep appears to be a larger concern for women versus men. What causes the higher waist circumference? Researchers say it may be due to hormone changes that result in increased appetite.

SOURCE: EurekAlert