Fat Grows With Sleep Woes

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A University of Chicago study looked at the sleep patterns of 149 males aged 16 to 83 over a 14-year period. They found that by the time men reach 45 it is nearly impossible for them to fall into a deep sleep. And it's during that time of deep sleep that men produce growth hormones that prevent obesity and maintain muscle mass.

The study shows that overall hours spent sleeping remained constant for men in the 35-to-50 age range, but deep sleep became elusive. That occurred as growth hormones fell over the same period by nearly 75 percent.

In an editorial accompanying the study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Marc R. Blackman, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, cautioned that a number of caveats and unanswered questions remain, among them that it could well be that the lack of quality sleep may be brought on by hormone depletion, not vice versa. Neither did the study examine the effects of reduced testosterone levels generally experienced by older males.

Still, he sees implications in the study. "Age-related alterations in sleep quality may contribute to concomitant changes in body composition and function," Blackman said. "Clearly more research into this promising area is indicated, as the potential benefits to the aging population are substantial."