Sleep linked to obesity

People who sleep fewer than six hours a night - or more than nine - are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study.

The study also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use.

The research adds weight to a stream of studies that have found obesity and other health problems in those who don't get proper shuteye, said Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

(China Daily 05/08/2008 page11)