Lack of sleep in teenage boys may lead to obesity

A new research study finds that lack of sleep in teenage boys leads to weight gain even though it has no effect on girls of the same age. The researchers looked at the sleeping habits and body fat and weight in 386 boys and 299 girls. The age group was 15-18. They found that an average teenage boy of 16 years who sleeps 8 hours a day will have 1.6 kg more fat in their body and will be 1.8 cm bigger around the waist compared to a boy of same size who slept 10 hours every day. “The key aspect to this research is that that we examined adolescents. Most of the research in this area to date has focused on younger children, whose parents tend to be stricter about bedtimes. Teenagers get more leeway over bedtimes,” says lead researcher Dr Paula Skidmore. “Our results suggest that for older teenage boys, making sure that they get adequate sleep may help to maintain a healthier a body. It seems to be that, within reason, the more (sleep) the better for boys.”