Public Webinar #6: Sleep, Exercise & Obesity (July 2016)

Questions and Answers

Drs. Chaput and LeBlanc answer viewers’ questions following their webinar ‘Sleep, Exercise & Obesity’ (July 27, 2016).

It would be very wonderful to have access to the “sleep hygiene” handout that was posted to provide to clients.

Allana will check if we can put this file into an infographic. This is not the first time it has been requested so I suspect we can do something. It won’t be available right away but will update.

The First presenter eluded to the fact that there is more research on the effects of exercise on weight- vs the eating (nutrition), I would like to know what research she may be referring to so I can read. 

Allana: not sure what she’s referring to. May have been a misunderstanding as I don’t think it is true!

Could we have a list of references used by the speakers for this webinar?

All of the topics covered in the webinar are in the following: Chaput JP. Is sleep deprivation a contributor to obesity in children? Eat Weight Disord 2016; 21(1): 5-11.  2016 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth: https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/thought-leadership/report-card/2016

Are there 24-Hr Physical Activity Guidelines for other age groups?

Not at the moment, but they will come in a near future.

The speaker said that the mechanism whereby weight gain is associated with poor sleep is that it causes people to eat more and move less. What would happen if people were sleep deprived but were forced to follow a strict calorie controlled diet and exercise despite how they felt – would the poor sleep still be associated with increased weight or worse health in some way, or is it entirely behaviour-driven?

The beneficial effects of exercising and reducing food intake would be mitigated in people having chronic lack of sleep. Cutting on sleep by thinking that diet and exercise are enough to provide optimal health benefits is not in line with current research and would not be a good idea.

What are population based approaches that we can be using to promote adequate sleep in children and adolescents?

Having a policy to delay school start times for teenagers is probably the best example of public health approach to promote adequate sleep in youth. Also, population health strategies that aim to increase physical activity and reduce screen time (especially before bedtime) are promising and may help to promote a good night’s sleep.

Knowledge and confidence of the speakers could Dr. Leblanc next time speak a little slower please.

JP: Hahaha; Allana: ☹

@DrJPChaput thx for the talk! You mentioned late sleep time as a concern. Would you ask parents about bedtime? What would be ideal?

Yes, parents should have rules about bedtime in the household. The only way to have adequate sleep duration in children is to make sure kids don’t go to bed late (because school start times are fixed). There is no magic number about bedtime but if the kids are tired when they wake up and during the day that means they don’t sleep enough.

Any recommendations on napping, for catching up on sleep?

Napping is certainly a good thing and naps of 20 minutes are generally sufficient. However, naps cannot fully compensate for the adverse effects of chronic lack of sleep. If is always better to find ways to address the barriers associated with insufficient sleep rather than relying on compensatory mechanisms (e.g. naps here).

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