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Most new moms know that's it hard to get a good night's sleep with a new baby around, but here's a good reason to try. A new DACP/Kaiser Permanente study in the November issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology found that mothers who slept five hours or less per day when their babies were six months old had a tripled risk of retaining substantial pregnancy weight (11 pounds or more) by their baby' first birthday. The study was senior authored by Matthew Gillman, Director of DACP's Obesity Prevention Program. Sheryl-Rifas Shiman, Emily Oken, Elsie Taveras, and Ken Kleinman were also part of the study team.
Previous studies have shown that sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain and obesity in general, but this study shows that getting enough sleep - even just two hours more - may be as important as healthy diet and exercise for new mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy weight. Research indicates that long-term sleep deprivation causes hormonal changes that may increase appetite. Getting inadequate sleep has been linked not only to obesity but to coronary artery disease and diabetes as well. This study looked at 940 women participating in DACP's Project Viva, a long-term study of prenatal nutrition and lifestyle factors on child and maternal health.
"With the results of this study, new mothers must be wondering how they can get more sleep for themselves and their babies. Our team is working on new studies to answer this important question," said Dr. Gillman. Click here for abstract.
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