News

Study links diet with sleep quality

Feb 08 2016...

A new study suggests that the quality of your sleep may be related to the type of food that you eat.

The study involved 26 adults. They had a normal weight and an average age of 35 years READ MORE>>

Larger tongue with more fat may predict sleep apnea risk in obese adults

Sep 30 2014...

A new study of obese adults shows that those who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a significantly larger tongue with a higher amount of fat. OSA is a chronic disease that involves repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep.

“Tongue size is one of the physical features that should be evaluated by a physician when screening obese patients to determine their risk for obstructive sleep apnea,” said Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler. He is president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. READ MORE>>

Get fit this summer to improve your sleep

Jun 25 2014...

Your summer fitness plan will help to do more than flatten your belly. By losing at least 5 percent of your weight, you’ll sleep longer and more soundly, a new study shows.

For example, for someone who weighs 200 pounds, losing just 10 pounds will pay off in your sleep quality. Another benefit of weight loss is feeling happy and more awake during the daytime. Past research shows high-quality sleep has major mood benefits. READ MORE>>

Late bedtimes may lead to extra calories and weight gain

Jul 05 2013...

Here’s a finding that will make you reconsider your bedtime: the later you stay awake, the more likely you are to lose sleep, eat more calories and ultimately gain weight. It’s a no win proposition for night owls, who already have the odds of having a successful career stacked against them.

Penn researchers discovered the relationship between late-night bedtimes, eating habits and weight gain in a study that appeared in the July issue of journal SLEEP, an online scientific journal co-published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Men with sleep loss, they found gained more weight than women, and African Americans were especially vulnerable to the effects of sleep loss. READ MORE>>

Obesity decreases physical activity

Mar 28 2013...

Physical activity and its relation to obesity has been studied for decades by researchers; however, almost no one has studied the reverse – obesity’s effect on physical activity.

So BYU exercise science professor Larry Tucker decided to look at the other side of the equation to determine if obesity leads to less activity. The findings, no surprise, confirmed what everyone has assumed for years. READ MORE>>

Dietary nutrients associated with certain sleep patterns

Feb 21 2013...

A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows for the first time that certain nutrients may play an underlying role in short and long sleep duration and that people who report eating a large variety of foods – an indicator of an overall healthy diet – had the healthiest sleep patterns. The new research is published online, ahead-of-print in the journal Appetite.

“Although many of us inherently recognize that there is a relationship between what we eat and how we sleep, there have been very few scientific studies that have explored this connection, especially in a real-world situation,” said Michael A. Grandner, PhD, Instructor in Psychiatry and member of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at Penn. “ In general, we know that those who report between 7 - 8 hours of sleep each night are most likely to experience better overall health and well being, so we simply asked the question "Are there differences in the diet of those who report shorter sleep, longer sleep, or standard sleep patterns?” READ MORE>>

Longer sleep times counteract obesity related genes

May 01 2012...

Toss out another old wives’ tale. Sleeping too much does not make you fat. Quite the opposite, according to a new study examining sleep and body mass index (BMI) in twins. READ MORE>>

Women's waistlines linked to sleep habits

May 12 2010...

Swedish researchers have further proof that your sleep habits contribute to obesity. They found women who sleep less tended to have bigger bellies and waistlines.

Past studies have linked short sleep duration to higher body mass index (BMI) scores. In a study published in the May 1st issue of SLEEP, researchers wanted to learn the relationship between sleep length and quality and central obesity, a key risk factor associated with heart disease, diabetes and mortality. READ MORE>>

Losing Weight: Which Diet is Best?

Feb 26 2009...

If you are obese, weight loss is one strategy to reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. It is unlikely to cure sleep apnea, but it can help. And losing weight can produce many other benefits for your health and well-being. READ MORE>>