Monthly Archive for April, 2012

Sleep deprivation may lead to diabetes or obesity

Make sure you get plenty of rest or you could be putting yourself at risk for becoming obese, or even getting diabetes. According to a new study in the Journal Science Translational Medicine, lack of sleep to a lower metabolic rate, leading to weight gain and possibly diabetes.

The researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston discovered that disturbed sleep patterns increased blood sugar levels and   slowed  down the body’s metabolic rate, which is the rate at which the body burns calories while at rest.

By imitating jet lag and normal shift work sleep hours over a course of time, this study was the first to observe sleep behaviors in an totally controlled laboratory environment.

Earlier studies revealed that shift workers were at increased risk for obesity and diabetes due to their disrupted sleep patterns and unhealthy eating habits.

The CDC claims that around 40 percent of people in the U.S. do not get adequate sleep during any given month.