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Lose Sleep, Gain Pounds: Study Reveals Link
7 Jul
Summary
- Losing 90 minutes of sleep nightly for six weeks can cause a one-pound weight gain.
- Sleep loss increases sedentary time, contributing to easier weight accumulation.
- This weight gain can significantly increase over a year if sleep deficits persist.
Losing approximately 90 minutes of sleep each night for six weeks has been found to cause a one-pound weight gain, according to a recent study. Researchers at Columbia University noted that this sleep deficit leads to a more sedentary lifestyle, which facilitates weight accumulation.
Participants in the study, who typically slept 7-8 hours, reduced their sleep by 90 minutes and consequently spent an average of 17 more minutes sitting down daily. For men and postmenopausal women, this increase in inactivity rose to nearly 30 minutes. Even when accounting for the longer awake time, participants were more inactive with reduced sleep.
This finding is significant because increased sedentary behavior elevates the risk for chronic diseases. Obesity is already a known risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. While one pound may not seem substantial over six weeks, the researchers suggest that if this sleep pattern continues for a full year, the weight gain could become clinically meaningful.
Previous research by the same team on these adults linked shorter sleep durations to negative health outcomes, including increased insulin resistance and inflammatory cells related to heart health. These findings collectively suggest that insufficient sleep heightens the risk of obesity-related conditions.
