Insomnia Caused by Obesity?

May 08, 2004 02:56 PM EDT

You crawl into bed, turn out the lights, rest your head on the pillow and wait for sleep to come. For many insomnia sufferers, sleep may come late—or not at all.

Insomnia

A very common sleep disorder, insomnia is the inability to sleep or abnormal wakefulness. It is often associated with stress, anxiety, life changes, caffeine use and many other factors. Recent research has found that insomnia is also associated with obesity.

Insomnia and obesity

A study was conducted at the Department of Medical Sciences of Uppsala University in Sweden on the relationship between insomnia, aging, lifestyle and medical disorders. A total of 2,602 men, aged 30 to 69 years, were selected to answer a questionnaire on sleep disturbances, lifestyle factors and medical disorders. The researchers observed an association between insomnia and the following factors:


Being overweight (obesity)

Physical inactivity

Alcohol dependence

Psychiatric disorders

Joint or lower back pain

The researchers concluded that obesity, joint/low back pain and physical inactivity were all strong contributors to chronic insomnia.


Losing weight

Obesity is an epidemic in North America. It is a risk factor for insomnia but also for many serious diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Dietary changes and exercise combined with the right nutritional supplements, such as a safe weight loss combo, can help you shed those pounds. Complete your Truestar nutrition, vitamin and exercise profiles today for your personalized plans.