“Sleep and stay thin” : discourses of sleep and body weight in the media : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Arts (by Thesis) in Psychology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract

Background: Despite the ever-growing public interest in the topics of “sleep” and “weight”, there is decidedly a limited amount of literature and research into the role that media plays in the representation of shaping the public’s understanding into the singular topic of “sleep and weight.” This research is intending to investigate how sleep and weight, specifically, are related and how those messages are delivered and consumed by the public in general. It is the aim of this ‘snap-shot’ investigate to help provide some new theories on sleep as a social practice and its relation to some wider social narratives around aspects such as sleep and weight. Method: Texts from New Zealand’s free online news source Stuff.co.nz were collated using the key words “sleep AND weight” between the dates of 2010 and 2022. A total of 30 relevant articles were collated for this study. A critical discourse analysis was used to describe the texts and then interpret them with regards to discursive practices and wider social explanations. Findings: Four key discourse themes were then composed: “The importance of good sleep for health and weight loss;” “The role that sleep plays in contributing towards weight-gain issues;” The role that excess weight has in the likelihood of individuals having sleep issues;” and “The use of healthy diets and exercise to address and fix any sleeping issues. Conclusion: Social discourses of sleep and weight within the mainstream New Zealand media were predominantly presented as sleep-positive in nature by promoting the potential health benefits of getting enough quality sleep for the ability to lose/maintain body weight goals; while at the same time highlighting the effect that excess weight can have as a risk factor in contributing to sleep issues. The cautionary-messages within the articles have the ability to inform the public towards the importance for striving to healthier life-styles however they also have the potential to drive unhealthy/unrealistic expectations for individuals. The findings for this study have implications for sleep health promotion within the media as well as inform future research in the field of sleep.