Sleep can help shed pounds

Sleep is critical to maintaining a healthy body weight, according to new research being presented this week at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego. BM) is linked to length and quality of sleep. Researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center analyzed the sleep, activity and energy expenditures of volunteer in a heart-health program [W]e found that short sleepers tended to have a higher BMI, 28.3 kg/m2, compared to long sleepers, who had an average BMI of 24.5. Short sleepers also had lower sleep efficiency, experienced as greater difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep,” said Arn Eliasson, M.D.