sleep 3Research published in Family Practice News (April 1, 2005:1,4) looked at 44 healthy adults and their sleep patterns. Half of the group slept a normal amount of time each night (averaging 7 hours, 52 minutes of sleep each night) and half of whom were described as chronic “short sleepers”, averaging only 5 hours and 16 minutes of sleep each night. Overall, the short sleepers tended to have lower insulin sensitivity when compared to the group who slept normally. In general, obesity is inversely related to the amount of time spent sleeping. Sleep deprived individuals generally experienced improved results on glucose tolerance tests when they increase the amount of sleep they get.