Media Release
May 12 2006
Sleep shortage to blame for obesity epidemic?
Junk food and a lack of exercise are blamed for the growing obesity
epidemic among Australian kids, but a shortage of sleep could also be a
factor. A new study at UniSA’s
Centre for Sleep Research is looking at whether children and
teenagers who don’t get enough sleep face an increased risk of obesity.
“A staggering one in four kids in Australia is now obese and while sleep might not seem a likely culprit, there’s growing scientific evidence that the less you sleep, the more likely you are to be obese,” says lead researcher Dr Sarah Blunden.
This is first study of its kind in Australia to look at the link between sleep and obesity and one of the first in the world to focus on kids.
“We know that adults who get less than six hours sleep or more than 10 hours sleep are more likely to be fat,” explains Dr Blunden. “But no one knows where the threshold is for kids, who obviously need more sleep than adults.”
Preliminary evidence from a small sampling of primary school students in Darwin found that 100 per cent of children who slept for less than six hours per night were either overweight or obese. While well under the recommend nine to 10 hours sleep for children in this age group, researchers are now trying to determine if less than seven or eight hours sleep in children may have a similar effect.
“When we don’t get enough sleep, we believe it might confuse our appetite hormones,” Dr Blunden explains. “The body’s natural appetite suppressant would then become an appetite stimulant and people would gain weight. So far, it appears sleep is a factor in kids and if it is, it’s certainly a controllable one.”
Final results are expected at the end of year.
Contact for interviews
- Dr Sarah Blunden mobile 0414 700 953 email sarah.blunden@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
- Tess van Straaten mobile 0412 102 662 email tess.vanstraaten@unisa.edu.au