The Effect of Sleep on Weight and Obesity Management

Obesity is a global pandemic with far reaching implications. The overall trend of Americans who are classified as obese and morbidly obese continues to rise. Alongside, the cost of healthcare as it relates to obesity and obesity-related illness continues to rise, in fact, it has doubled over the past 10 years. Obesity-related illnesses include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and chronic liver disease among others. Paralleling the obesity epidemic, sleep loss and dysfunction have emerged as a public health issue. Both obesity and sleep dysfunction share important pathophysiologic pathways, resulting in a persistent low-grade inflammatory state which ultimately contributes to chronic disease as part of the metabolic syndrome. This chapter outlines the role of sleep in the pathogenesis of obesity and reviews the potential therapeutic implications of restoring normal sleep function in patients with obesity and obesity-associated diseases.

Keywords: Circadian rhythm, Diabetes mellitus, Metabolic syndrome, Metabolic disease, Microbiome, Obesity, Obstructive sleep apnea, Sleep, Sleep dysfunction.