Less quality of sleep blamed for obesity

THE SPORTS Science Institute of South Africa (Ssisa) says a lack of quality sleep often leads to obesity.

The institute held sleep health checks at its offices in Newlands yesterday to mark World Sleep Day.

The director of Sleep Science at Ssisa, Dr Dale Rae, said: “There is a huge train of thought around the world at the moment that people are not getting much sleep and I often get asked: ‘ how much sleep should I be getting’.

“The guidelines at the moment are such that as adults we should be sleeping somewhere between seven and nine hours per night. There is a little bit of leeway for some people – some say six hours are sufficient, while some say 10 hours is necessary. But the key is really to make sure your sleep quality is as good as your sleep duration.”

Short or poor quality sleep is associated with obesity, Rae said. “And we have a huge obesity issue in this country. One third of our females are overweight, one third are obese and only a third are normal weight.”

She said obesity is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Rae said she had noticed that a lot of workers try to arrive in the city centre before 5am to beat the gridlock on the metro’s roads.

Dr Dale Rae works with a patient.