Sleep Stress and Obesity

Sleep, Stress, and Obesity

Last Date to Claim CME Credit: Course Expiration Date
Material Access Expiration Date: Materials will be available for at least one year beyond the course expiration date. 
Format: Video-recorded lectures

Target Audience

This activity is intended for all health professionals; physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and more who have a general knowledge of obesity assessment and treatment and have taken courses in the fundamentals of obesity, such as our "Obesity: Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment" course.

For physicians interested in obtaining obesity medicine certification through the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), this course counts towards the ABOM requirement of at least 30 hours of live CME credit on the topic of obesity from a partner organization.

Course Overview

Alongside good nutrition and regular physical activity, consistent sleep and emotional peace are considered the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. This course focuses on the effects of chronic stress and sleep deprivation on obesity, as well as the detrimental effects of weight stigma on psychological and physical health. 

Learning Objectives 

  1. Explore the physiological effects of weight stigma through controlled studies.  
  2. Discover how sleep and sleep patterns can alter energy balance and consider their association with body weight. 
  3. Learn how to assess sleep apnea as well as leading treatment methods. 
  4. Understand the relationship between sleep apnea and obesity.  
  5. Investigate sleep physiology and regulation, methods for measuring sleep, and practical strategies to improve sleep in your patients. 
  6. Study the impact of chronic stress on brain circuits regulating food motivation and intake and discover treatment strategies to address brain alterations from chronic stress that affect reward motivation and promote overeating. 
  7. Examine the interconnection between stress neurobiology and brain-reward pathways as well as their relationship to the obesity epidemic.  

Course Lectures

  1. How and Why Weight Stigma Drives the Obesity ‘Epidemic’ and Harms Health, A Janet Tomiyama, PhD 
  2. Chronic Stress and Obesity, Rajita Sinha, PhD 
  3. Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity: Evidence and Clinical Considerations, Ari Shechter, PhD 
  4. Sleep and Obesity: Altering Energy Balance, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, CCSH, FAHA 
  5. Improving Sleep in Your Patients: Strategies and Outcomes, Ari Shechter, PhD 

Accreditation Statement

The Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement

The Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons designates this enduring material for a maximum of 4.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

    Faculty and Disclosures

    All those involved in planning and delivering this education will disclose all financial relationships in the past 24 months with ineligible companies. An ineligible company is any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. For each financial relationship, disclosure will include the name of the ineligible company and the nature of the financial relationship(s).

    Ari Shechter, PhD 
    Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences, Columbia University Irving Medical Center 
    Disclosures: N/A 

    Rajita Sinha, PhD 
    Foundations Fund Endowed Professor in Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Child Study, Yale School of Medicine; Deputy Chair of Psychiatry for Psychology, Chief, Psychology Section in Psychiatry; and Director, Yale Stress Center 
    Disclosures: CT Pharma, LLC (PI of research grant), Aptinyx, lnc (research collaboration) 

    Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, CCSH, FAHA 
    Associate Professor of Nutritional Medicine and Director, Sleep center of excellence, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center 
    Disclosures: Consultant for Nestle Nutritionals, Grant from the National Dairy Council, Speaker for Orgain LLC

    A Janet Tomiyama, PhD
    Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California Las Angeles 
    Disclosures: N/A

    All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

    Disclaimer

    All information contained within this activity is intended for educational purposes only. Physicians and other health care professionals are encouraged to consult other sources and confirm the information contained on this site. No single reference or service can take the place of medical training, education, and experience. This website does not define a standard of care, nor is it intended to dictate an exclusive course of management. This information should not substitute for a visit or consultation with a healthcare provider.

    Technical Requirements

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