Association between short sleeping hours and overweight in adolescents: results from a US Suburban High School survey

Sleep Breath. 2007 Dec;11(4):285-93. doi: 10.1007/s11325-007-0108-z.

Abstract

Insufficient sleep may lead to adverse health effects, influencing body weight. This study quantified the prevalence of short sleep and the association between sleep duration and overweight in a sample of suburban students. Cross-sectional study was conducted in 2004, involving 529 students from Bay High School, Bay Village, OH, USA, using self-administered questionnaires assessing lifestyle and sleep behaviors. Students with a body mass index Z Score >85th percentile for sex and age were deemed overweight. Ninety percent of students reported average sleep time less than 8 h on school nights, with 19% reported less than 6 h of sleep per night. Twenty percent of the sample were overweight. Overweight was significantly associated with the male gender, increased caffeine consumption, and short sleep duration. Compared with students sleeping >8 h, the age and gender-adjusted odds ratio of overweight was 8.53 (95% CI: 2.26, 32.14) for those with <5 h sleep (P = 0.0036); 2.79 (1.03, 7.55) for those with 5-6 h sleep; 2.81 (1.14, 6.91) for those with 6-7 h sleep; and 1.29 (0.52, 3.26) for those with 7-8 h sleep. Short sleep duration was common and associated with overweight with evidence of a "dose-response" relationship. These results confirm a high prevalence of short sleep among suburban high school students and provide additional support suggesting significant association between short sleeping hours and overweight.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Body Mass Index
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Data Collection*
  • Humans
  • Life Style
  • Obesity / epidemiology*
  • Overweight*
  • Prevalence
  • Schools
  • Sleep Deprivation / epidemiology*
  • Sleep*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States