Monthly Sleep Tip - January 2009

As a person gains weight, especially in the trunk and neck area, the risk of sleep-disordered breathing increases due to compromised respiratory function. This, in turn, can cause sleep deprivation, lead to more weight gain and an increased risk for diabetes.

Here are a few facts to consider:

• A buildup of sleep debt over a matter of days can impair metabolism and disrupt hormone levels.
• The level of Leptin (the hormone that leads to appetite satiety) falls in subjects who are sleep deprived, which promotes an increased appetite.
• Successful treatment of sleep apnea may reduce sleepiness, raise hormone levels, and then motivate patients to effectively loose weight which in turn could improve the apnea.
• As little as a 10 percent decrease in weight can lead to significant clinical improvement in the severity of sleep apnea.

Ref. www.sJeepfoundation.o'Y, 2008 University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). Rewewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medidne, Harvard Medical School; Physidon, Massachusetts General Hospital, ICSM vol 3 no. 72007