Lack of sleep makes teens obese

Added on 01/09/10

Author: Alex Wilkinson - Reporter

Teenagers who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to obesity.

Evidence that sleep deprivation makes you overweight has mounted over recent years. Now a new study adds weight to this argument. It reveals that teenagers who don’t get 8 hours of sleep consume 2.2% more calories the following day. They are also more likely to munch on snacks.

Modern lifestyles mean teens are staying up later, and having less stable sleep, experts say. Teenagers often stay up, talking online, playing computer games or texting friends, they argue.

"All of us have a clock system inside us and it keeps 24-hour time," said Dr. Kenneth P. Wright Jr., an associate professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado in Boulder. "In adolescence, this system changes, and it drives a lot of our behaviours, like when we sleep."

Wright warns that sleep deprivation can is not something to be taken lightly. It can be seriously bad news for young people, he argues. "When we think of adolescents and lack of sleep, we think of drowsy driving, and learning is impaired, but this study also shows that there are real health consequences for teens," said the doctor. "It supports the notion that sleep is important for our health."

Helping children to get into a stable, regular sleeping pattern will benefit their weight and their overall health. On the other hand, waking up feeling tired and sluggish may drive teenagers to reach for sugary snacks like chocolate bars. While such snacks may give a brief burst of energy, a come-down effect will eventually result. Chocolate bars, crisps and energy drinks are also often high in calories. Teenagers are unlikely to lose weight unless they eat healthily, and exercise regularly.

The researcher’s findings are available in the Journal Sleep.