The Association between Time in Bed and Obesity Risk in Young Adults

Young adults (YA) are at high risk for insufficient sleep and obesity. However, little research has focused on the association between sleep and obesity in this population. The present study examined the association between reported time in bed (TIB) and body mass index (BMI) in YAs. Participants were 250 18-25 year-olds who completed an online survey assessing several factors associated with weight control. After controlling for significant covariates, TIB was significantly associated with BMI. Specifically, less than 6 hours/night TIB was associated with increased BMI compared to the referent category (7 to <8 hours/night) (p = .01). Findings demonstrate that young adults who report shorter TIB are more likely to be classified as having higher BMI.