“We’ve put so much emphasis on diet and exercise that we’ve failed to recognize the value of good sleep,” said Fred Turek, a physician at North-western University.

　　本周一来自诺福克的西弗吉尼亚医学院的一份对1000人做的研究表明，累计睡眠时间和体重指数刚好成反比，体重指数是一种以身高为基准来衡量体重的方法。

　　Men slept an average of 27 minutes less than women and overweight and obese patients slept less than patients with normal weights, it said. In general the fatter subjects slept about 1.8 hours a week less than those with normal weight.

　　“Americans experience insufficient sleep and corpulent bodies. Clinicians are aware of the burden of obesity on patients,” the study said.

　　“我们的研究结果表明大量地增加睡眠时间是没有必要的，每晚多睡20分钟对降低体重指数似乎有一定的帮助。”该研究补充道。

　　“我们警告说，该研究并没有表明睡眠时间长短与肥胖之间有什么必然的因果关系。不过，调查显示延长睡眠时间确实可以有效减轻体重，这对于证明这一关系非常有帮助。”

　　The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine along with an editorial by Turek and Northwestern colleague Joseph Bass commenting on it and related research.

　　In an interview with Reuters, Turek said some studies have shown sleep deprivation causes declines in an appetite suppressing protein hormone called leptin, and increases in another hormone that causes a craving for food. In addition neuropeptides in the brain governing sleep and obesity appear to overlap, he said.

　　该研究还提到，近年来发达国家肥胖症状以惊人的速度增长，在美国肥胖已成为一种普遍现象，并且引发了多种健康问题。