Could our sleeping habits be making us fatter?

Consultant Endocrinologist Prof Donal O’Shea and RCSI final-year medical student Kevin Lynch examine the link between a habitual lack of sleep and the growing obesity problem Sleep is a normal and essential part of our lives. It is an activity that we spend roughly one-third of our lives engaged in and plays a crucial role in many physiological and psychological functions, including tissue repair, growth, memory consolidation and learning. While the exact amount of sleep needed may vary from one person to another, experts believe that habitually sleeping for less than seven hours per night may have negative consequences on…