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Even Mild Sleep Deprivation May Lead to Weight Gain
A study by researchers at Columbia University's Vagelos School of Medicine has found that even mild, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain, a condition thought to affect around 30 per cent of adults. This challenges the assumption, based largely on studies of severe sleep restriction, that only extreme sleep loss affects weight, and suggests that everyday habits such as staying up slightly later than usual could carry measurable long-term health consequences.
Researchers studied 95 adults who normally slept at least seven hours a night and had existing cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, asking them to delay their bedtime by 90 minutes for six weeks before comparing this with six weeks of normal sleep. When sleep was cut by roughly 80 minutes a night, participants gained around 0.45 kilograms (about a pound) on average and spent up to 30 minutes more time sitting each day, despite being awake longer. Notably, levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, actually rose during sleep restriction, undermining theories that hormonal disruption drives overeating. Related studies on the same participants also linked mild sleep loss to increased insulin resistance, particularly in postmenopausal women, and to greater inflammation-related immune cell activity.
In short
- Mild, chronic sleep loss linked to weight gain, not just severe deprivation
- 80 minutes less sleep nightly caused about 1lb average weight gain over six weeks
- Sleep loss also raised sitting time, insulin resistance and inflammation markers
Explained simply
Sleep deprivation is known to affect weight, but most research has focused on severe sleep loss where people sleep only a few hours a night. New research from Columbia University's medical school suggests that milder forms of sleep deprivation—such as regularly staying up an extra 90 minutes past your normal bedtime—can also lead to weight gain. For people struggling with their weight, this matters because it suggests that sleep habits deserve attention alongside diet and exercise.
The study involved 95 adults who normally slept well. Researchers asked them to delay their bedtime by 90 minutes for six weeks, then compared their weight and behaviour with a period of normal sleep. During the period of reduced sleep, participants gained on average half a kilogram (about a pound) and spent significantly more time sitting, despite having more waking hours available.
The findings are relevant because around 30 per cent of adults suffer from insufficient sleep, and scientists found that even this modest amount of sleep loss can trigger biological changes in the body that lead to weight gain. If staying up just slightly later than usual truly does contribute to weight gain, it suggests that improving sleep patterns could be just as important for health as watching what we eat or how much we exercise.
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