'Night Owl' Girls More Likely To Gain Weight Says Study; Other Habits Which Can Lead To Weight Gain

Weight gain can be extremely stressful for many people. Most girls dream of a toned body. They starve themselves to reduce weight. But not many focus on the bad habits which can contribute to weight gain unintentionally. From poor lifestyle to sleeping habits there can be many factors which can contribute to weight gain. Researchers have extended the ill-effects of inadequate sleep on one's weight. According to a study, teenage girls who prefer to go to bed late are more likely to gain weight, compared to same-age girls who go to bed earlier. For the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, a total of 804 adolescents, 418 girls and 386 boys aged between 11 to 16 years were analysed.

The children responded to questionnaires on their sleep habits and wore an actigraph - a wrist device that tracks movement, said researchers from the Kaiser Permanente, a healthcare company in the US. During the study, the research team measured the participants' waist size and calculated their proportion of body fat using a technique called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

They also estimated the children's social jet lag- the difference between their weeknight and weekend bed-times. Those who stayed up far later on weekends than weeknights were considered to have high social jet lag.

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According to the study, for girls, staying up late was associated with an average 0.58 cm increase in waist size and a 0.16 kg/m2 increase in body fat. Each hour of social jet lag was associated with a 1.19 cm larger waist size and a 0.45 kg/m2 increase in body fat. These associations were reduced but still remained, after the researchers statistically adjusted for other factors known to influence weight, such as sleep duration, diet, physical activity and television viewing.

Although the researchers found slight associations between these measures and waist size and body fat in boys, they were not statistically significant. The researchers concluded that improving sleep schedules may help prevent obesity in childhood and adolescence, especially in girls.

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Other factors which can cause weight gain

Some poor lifestyle habits can cause weight gain. Some of these habits may go unnoticed and make it difficult for you to lose weight. Here are some things which you should consider to maintain a healthy weight.

1. Choose your calories well- make sure that you are eating healthy calories and also keep a check on the number of calories you are consuming in a day.

2. Skip sugar- If you are a dessert lover it might be difficult for you to quit sugar. But cutting sugar might help you reduce weight. Sugar is hidden in many foods, check all the sources of sugar.

3. Stay active throughout the day- If you are spending hours at the gym and sitting all day then it may not give you the desired results. Skip laziness and keep moving throughout the day.

4. Do not skip breakfast- Consuming a healthy and heavy breakfast can help you eat a limited amount of calories. Eat a healthy and heavy breakfast for a better weight.

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(With inputs from IANS)

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