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05 Aug 2008
Children and teenagers who get less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may be more likely to be overweight, a report has suggested.
Published in the August issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry and carried out by staff from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute, the study examined a total of 335 youngsters aged between seven and 17 years old.
The participants' sleep was monitored for three consecutive nights, while weight and height were measured to calculate the patients' body mass index.
It was found that one hour less of REM sleep was associated with three-fold increased odds of being overweight.
"Our results demonstrate an important relationship between REM sleep and high BMI and obesity," the authors wrote.
Meanwhile, a study carried out at the University of Alberta recently found that students who watch more than four hours of television per day are more likely to be overweight.
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