Weighing in on sleep and body mass
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Ann E. Rogers:
Weighing in on sleep and body mass
| "Weighing in on Sleep and Body Mass" View slide show in larger size on YouTube. |
Research studies on sleep-deprived medical residents have become standard fare in medical journals in recent decades. But the same cannot be said for research on sleep-deprived nurses. So, Ann E. Rogers, PhD, RN, FAAN, an expert on sleep and sleep disorders, decided it was high time to look into the matter. She and her colleagues’ groundbreaking investigation, the Staff Nurse Fatigue and Patient Safety Study,” led to recent, sweeping changes in nursing policies in clinical settings across the country.
Now, Rogers, who recently joined Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, is studying how sleep affects body mass. Specifically, she and her collaborators are looking at whether obtaining sufficient sleep helps people lose weight. “If you don’t get enough sleep, it alters your appetite regulating hormones,” says Rogers. “Therefore, you’re more likely to eat high-calorie, high-fat food, which would be adaptive if you’re starving, but we’re not.”
Rogers is one of only six nurses credentialed as a diplomate by the American Board of Sleep Medicine.
To hear Rogers’ own words about how sleep is linked to body mass, use the player at the top of this page or subscribe to the podcast.