Sleep and Quality of Life in Obesity

SummaryObesity is a global problem now affecting more than 60% of the US population. It is associated with a wide range of co-morbidities including depression, diabetes, cardiovascular, hepatic, and rheumatologic conditions. Sleep disturbances are also common and include breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation, upper airway resistance syndrome, and REM-specific sleep-disordered breathing. Obesity may account for more than 50% of sleep apnea cases. Although sleep apnea is an important and common complication of obesity, other sleep diagnoses have been associated with obesity. These include insomnia, hypersomnia, sleep fragmentation, and non-restorative sleep. The overlap of obesity, medical co-morbidities, and sleep disturbances results in a significant reduction in quality of life as measured by various self-report scales. The benefits of weight loss are also discussed as there can be a significant improvement of both obesity and associated health problems.