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Weight loss linked to improved sleep, mood

Losing 5% or more from initial body weight is associated with short-term improvements in sleep quality and duration, and short- and long-term improvements in mood, according to a recently published study.

“This 2-year randomized controlled trial found that three different behavioral weight loss interventions, delivered in primary care practice by practice staff, helped approximately one-fifth to one-third of participants in the three groups lose 5% or more of initial weight,” Nasreen Alfaris, MD, MPH, of the department of medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues wrote.

To assess the effects of weight loss on mood, sleep quality and duration, researchers evaluated 390 obese men and women, recruited from six primary care practices within the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Participants were aged 21 years or older, had a BMI of 30 kg/m² to 50 kg/m² and had at least two components of metabolic syndrome. All participants were prescribed the same diet and exercise goals, but were randomly assigned to one of three behavioral support interventions: usual care, brief lifestyle counseling or enhanced brief lifestyle counseling.

Sleep quality and duration were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire, and mood by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8. Both were assessed at baseline and at months 6 and 24. Sleep and mood changes were evaluated by treatment group and based on participants who lost at least 5% of initial weight vs. those who lost less.

The data initially reflected few substantial differences in changes in mood or sleep between treatment groups. At 6 months, however, the mean nightly minutes of sleep significantly increased for participants who had lost at least 5% of initial weight compared with those who lost less (21.6 minutes vs. 1.2 minutes). Sleep quality and duration scores also improved more at 6 months among those who lost no less than 5% of initial weight vs. less than 5% (–1.2 vs. –0.4; P<.0012), as did mood scores (–2.5 vs. –0.1; P<.0001). At 24 months, the only remaining significant difference was in mood (P<.05).

“These findings provide additional reasons for primary care practitioners to recommend weight loss to their overweight and obese patients,” Alfaris and colleagues concluded.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.