Researchers presented a conundrum to new mothers on Monday,
saying that women who want to lose the extra weight gained in
pregnancy should try to get more sleep.
They found that mothers who slept five hours or less a day when
their babies were six months old were three times more likely than
more rested mothers to have kept on the extra weight at one
year.
"We've known for some time that sleep deprivation is associated
with weight gain and obesity in the general population, but this
study shows that getting enough sleep -- even just two hours more
-- may be as important as a healthy diet and exercise for new
mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy weight," said Erica
Gunderson of Kaiser Permanente, which runs hospitals and clinics in
California.
Young mothers look at their
newborn babies in the central hospital of Ulyanovsk, Russia,
September 12, 2007. (photo: Agencies via China Daily)
Gunderson and colleagues studied 940 women taking part in a
study of prenatal and postnatal health at Harvard Medical School in
Boston.
The women who slept five hours or less a night when their babies
were six months old were more likely to have kept on 11 pounds (5
kg) of weight one year after giving birth, they found.
Women who slept seven hours a night or more lost more weight,
they reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers acknowledged this may pose a dilemma to new
mothers, given that infants sleep so fitfully.
"With the results of this study, new mothers must be wondering,
'How can I get more sleep for both me and my baby?' Our team is
working on new studies to answer this important question," said Dr.
Matthew Gillman of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim
Health Care.
(Agencies via China Daily November 20, 2007)
