Study Links Poor Sleep to Mood Disturbance in Obese People

A new study reveals a high correlation between poor sleep and mood disturbance along with lower quality of life people suffering from obesity.

The study documented in the journal Sleep, was conducted on 270 people who had a BMI of 47.0 kg/m2 and were consecutively listed in the regional specialist weight management service. The patients were around 43 years old and were assessed on the sleep disturbance, daytime sleepiness, mood and quality of life using standardized questionnaires.

The researchers noticed that nearly 74.8 percent of the participants suffered from lower quality of sleep and their self reported sleep durations lasted for just six hours and 20 minutes. Apart from this nearly 52 percent of them were anxious and 43 percent suffered from depression. After taking into consideration certain factors that included age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea they noticed that daytime sleepiness and sleep quality was linked to mood disturbance and poor quality of life.

"There was a clear association between the sleep problems such as short sleep duration and the psychological disorders and with quality of life," said Dr. G. Neil Thomas, lead supervisor, study methodology lead at the Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Birmingham. "These associations remained significant even after adjusting for a range of potential confounders."

This study clearly highlights the need for the physicians to conduct routine screening for sleep problems in those with extreme obesity. It is only improving the quality and quantity of sleep that the patients can improve the mental and emotional health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 35.7 percent of the American adults suffer from obesity with a BMI of more or equal to 30. According to their estimation, in the U.S. the medical cost of obesity annually was $147 billion in 2008 dollars.

Thomas concluded saying, "Despite the very high levels of problems in these patients, those involved with their care usually don't ask about sleep problems and often pay little heed to the psychological issues underlying the obesity. The focus is often on treating the obesity and its consequences, such as diet and exercise interventions, rather than addressing its underlying cause, which may be psychological in nature, such as an unhappy marriage or job stress."