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Overweight in youth and sleep quality: is there a link?

Susana Rebelo Pacheco1, Ana Margalha Miranda1, Raquel Coelho1

  • 1Pediatric Department, Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca, Amadora, Portugal.

Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism
|June 29, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Overweight children exhibit poorer sleep quality, specifically reduced non-rapid eye movement sleep, which is linked to increased insulin resistance. Addressing sleep patterns is crucial for combating childhood obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Overweight and obesity are associated with sleep disturbances.
  • Poor sleep duration and quality are recognized risk factors for obesity development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sleep patterns in overweight children versus normal-weight controls.
  • To evaluate the relationship between sleep quality and obesity markers in children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of 41 overweight and 41 normal-weight children.
  • Polysomnography was used to assess sleep patterns.
  • Matched for age, sex, and apnea-hypopnea index; BMI z-scores and HOMA-IR calculated.

Main Results:

  • Overweight children had significantly lower N3% (slow-wave sleep) compared to controls (p=0.037).
  • A negative correlation was found between HOMA-IR and N3% in overweight children (p=0.008).

Conclusions:

  • Compromised non-rapid eye movement sleep in overweight children indicates altered sleep quality.
  • Slow-wave sleep duration is linked to insulin resistance, suggesting a role in pediatric obesity.
  • Strategies to ensure adequate slow-wave sleep are needed to address childhood obesity.
Abstract

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