New research from Oregon Health & Science University reveals negative health consequences for people who are overweight and ignore their body's signals to sleep at night, with specific differences between men and women. The study published this week in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism . "This study builds support for the importance of good sleep habits," said lead author Brooke Shafer, Ph.
D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory in the OHSU School of Nursing. "Sleep practices, like going to bed when you're tired or setting aside your screen at night, can help to promote good overall health.
" The study recruited 30 people, split evenly between men and women. All had a body mass index above 25, which put them into an overweight or obese category. "Obesity and cardiometabolic disease are growing public health concerns," Shafer said.
"Our research shows that disruptions in the body's internal biological clock could contribute to negative health consequences for people who may already be vulnerable due to weight." Generally healthy participants contributed a saliva sample every 30 minutes until late in the night at a sleep lab on OHSU's Marquam Hill campus to determine the time at which their body started naturally producing the hormone melatonin . Melatonin is generally understood to begin the process of falling asleep, and its onset varies with an individual's internal biological clock.
Participants then went home and logg.