Shift Work and Sleep Deprivation Linked With Obesity and Diabetes

Emma
blog posting #3
topic: Health
Title: Shift Work, Sleep Deprivation, Linked with Obesity and Diabetes, Study Finds
Publication: Huffington Post
Author: Amanda L. Chan
Date: 4/11/12
1 page long

    Recently, researchers from Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston did a controlled study to see the effect of sleep deprivation and sleeping at abnormal times on people. They conducted the study with 21 people over the course of six weeks and during that time researchers controlled the diet, activities, and sleep of the subjects. During the beginning of the study each person was getting ten hours of sleep a night and as the study progressed each person was allowed only 5.6 hours with everyone going to sleep at different times in the day. Researchers found that the subjects who did not get enough sleep or were sleeping at odd times during the day had a decreased metabolic rate during the study and were having a worsened ability to secreat insilin seen by higher bloodsugar levles than the average person after they ate. When the data was extrapolated researchers found that these changes seen during the study could lead to a weight gain of ten pounds per year. The findings of the study show the link between unhealthy sleep patterns and obesity and diabetes.
    To Conclude, the study done in Boston shows that people who have to work shifts and therefor sleep at abnormal times, as well as people who deprive themselves of necessary sleep have a higher risk for obesity and diabetes. Though the study was small, it was more long term than many other studies and lead to this conclusion about the link between sleep and health.