New research from Oregon Health & Science University highlights the importance of good sleep habits for overweight adults, revealing different health impacts for men and women who ignore their body’s natural signals to sleep.
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, underscores the negative health consequences of poor sleep practices, particularly for those who are already at risk due to their weight.
Lead author Dr. Brooke Shafer, a postdoctoral researcher at OHSU, emphasized the significance of sleep routines.
“Good sleep habits, like going to bed when you’re tired and avoiding screens at night, can promote overall health,” Shafer said.
The study involved 30 participants, evenly split between men and women, all with a body mass index (BMI) above 25, classifying them as overweight or obese.
Participants spent time in a sleep lab where researchers measured the onset of melatonin, a hormone that signals the body to begin the sleep process.
After the lab session, participants tracked their sleep habits at home for seven days.
The researchers then compared the time between melatonin onset and when participants actually went to sleep, dividing them into two groups: those with a narrow window (short time between melatonin onset and sleep) and those with a wide window (longer time between melatonin onset and sleep).
The study found that those who went to sleep closer to their melatonin onset time experienced various negative health effects.
Men in this group had higher levels of belly fat, fatty triglycerides in the blood, and an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.
Women, on the other hand, showed higher overall body fat, elevated glucose levels, and higher resting heart rates.
Senior author Dr. Andrew McHill noted the surprising differences between men and women. “These findings show that sleep impacts health in different ways depending on sex, which challenges the ‘one size fits all’ approach in medicine,” McHill said.
The researchers plan to explore these sex-specific differences further, particularly in groups with more severe sleep disruptions, such as night shift workers, to develop interventions that help maintain their health.
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