A new study shows that you can't give up bad sleeping habits, especially as you get older. You've probably heard all your life how important a good night's sleep is, and science backs it up. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night primes the body for a host of positive benefits. In fact, researchers say that sleeping just an extra hour each day can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost immunity and ease depression. But along with the time you spend in bed, other sleep habits such as when you go to bed and when you wake up can have significant effects on your health and even your weight.
A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Activity, Sedentary, and Sleep Behaviors looked at how variability in sleep and wake times, along with total sleep time, affects health indicators and body weight. It also assessed whether exercise and an active lifestyle could help improve negative health measures associated with poor sleep.
The study involved 3,698 people, all aged 46, who wore activity monitors to track their waking and sleeping habits for two weeks. They were then assessed for their average blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), belly fat levels, glucose, insulin and cholesterol levels to see how sleep affected these metrics. What the researchers found was that irregular sleep habits resulted in several poor health indicators, especially for people who didn't move much throughout the day.
Whether one of your priorities is losing weight or maintaining the weight you have, you can't seem to get rid of bad sleeping habits, especially as you get older. People who significantly changed their sleep schedule had higher waist circumferences and greater body mass.
If you want to maintain a healthy weight as you age, make sure you prioritize sleep.
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Source: The Healthy
