Obese and overweight patients in a study group reported sleeping less than their peers with normal body mass indexes (BMIs), according to an article in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Insufficient sleep causes neurocognitive changes such as excessive daytime sleepiness, altered mood, and increased risk for work-related injury and automotive accidents, according to background information in the article. It has been reported that the average American is currently getting less sleep than they did a century ago. With these declining sleep times there has also been an increase in the number of both obese and severely obese people in the U.S.
Robert D. Vorona, M.D., from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, and colleagues examined patients’ total sleep time per 24 hours in relation to their body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters). One thousand-one patients completed a questionnaire involving demographics, medical problems, sleep habits, and sleep disorders. The patients were classified as being of normal weight (BMI less than 25), overweight (BMI 25 – 29.9), obese (BMI 30 – 39.9), or severely obese (BMI 40 or greater). The average participant had a BMI of 30, and was 48 years old.