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Teens could sleep their way thin, study reveals
Author: Jonathan Warren
Teenagers who get less than eight of hours of shut eye in their single beds each night could be putting themselves at risk of obesity, new research has revealed.
In a study of 250 teens by Baylor College in Houston, Texas, teens – boys in particular – were found to be more at risk of piling on the pounds if they slept for shorter amounts of time. Attributing this to a hormone imbalance caused by sleep-deprivation, scientists said that a failure to get the correct amount of sleep could upset hormones that control hunger sensations. In addition, more hours out of bed left more time for teens to binge on food.
Male teens who snoozed for seven hours or less each night showed an increase in BMI of around four per cent compared to those who got more sleep, while girls showed an increase of almost five per cent.
Study author Lata Casturi presented the findings at the American College of Chest Physicians annual conference and said: “Sleep is food for the brain. When teens do not get enough sleep, they fall asleep in class, struggle to concentrate, look and feel stressed, get sick more often, and do not meet their obligations due to tiredness.”
