Lack of Sleep Can Up the Risk for Heart Diseases and Diabetes among Obese Teens
Insufficient sleep increases the chances of developing cardio-metabolic diseases like diabetes, stroke and heart diseases in obese adolescents, according to a research published in the journal Pediatrics.
Prior studies have proved the high prevalence of health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, many types of cancers, bone and joint problems in obese youth and children. The new findings suggest decreased sleep duration in obese teens ups their chances of cardio-metabolic risks.
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Health systems and Baylor University assessed the impact of insufficient sleep on the health of 37 obese adolescents aged between 11 and 17 . These participants were a part of a weight reduction and evaluation program, their physical activity and sleep levels were monitored continuously for a week. To measure the subjects' risks for type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, the experts created a cardio-metabolic score by recording the body mass index, standing height, waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels in the body.
It was found that nearly one-third of the participants were physically active for a minimum of 60 minutes per day, according to the experts' recommendations and slept for nearly seven hours in the night. Only five participants were reported sleeping for almost eight and a half hours every night.
Heidi IglayReger, study author and supervisor of the Physical Activity Laboratory at the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center, said in a news release, "However, the strong association between sleep duration and cardio-metabolic risk score independent of the effects of body composition and physical activity suggest a potential influence of sleep duration on cardio-metabolic health in obese adolescents."
Sleep is an important body function and insufficient sleep affects decision making and problem solving abilities. It also results in reduced appetite, increased stress and emotional imbalance, poor concentration levels and poor physical and mental health in teens. According to the National Sleep Foundation, an average teenager requires about nine and a half hours of sleep everyday to function best. While the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) reveals only 30 percent of high-school students getting at least eight hours of sleep.
The authors believe further studies are required to determine if sleep deprivation in teens is associated to obesity and cardio-metabolic diseases and if improving sleep duration can curb the risk factors.
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