Skipping sleep may pack on pounds faster than you think, new study finds
Why Skipping Sleep May Pack on Pounds Faster Than Expected
Explorehotelworld.com – and new research suggests the connection is stronger than many people realize. Regularly cutting back on rest could cause the number on the scale to creep up more quickly than anticipated, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings reveal that adults who got about 90 minutes less sleep each night for six weeks gained roughly one pound on average compared with periods when they maintained adequate rest.
Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center conducted the study with 95 adults who were already at risk for heart or metabolic disease. The team compared six weeks of adequate sleep with six weeks of cutting about 90 minutes of sleep each night, tracking multiple health markers throughout the trial period.
What Happens When You Don't Get Enough Rest
By the end of the sleep-restricted phase, participants weighed about one pound more on average and had slightly larger waistlines. They also spent more time sitting, although their levels of moderate and vigorous exercise remained about the same. While participants gained weight, researchers did not detect significant changes in body fat or muscle mass during the relatively short study period.
"Chronic short sleep is not a lifestyle quirk. We need to treat sleep as a vital sign of health."
They also did not track how much participants ate, so it's unclear what drove the increase. Dr. Somi Javaid, an Ohio-based OB-GYN and founder of HerMD who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital that sleep plays an important role in regulating the body's metabolism.
Javaid said chronic sleep deprivation can make it harder for the body to regulate weight, but noted that women going through menopause may be especially vulnerable because sleep problems become more common during that stage of life. "We are destroying women's sleep at the exact life stage when their metabolism is [the] least able to absorb the hit, then telling them to eat less and exercise more," Javaid said. She added that the American Heart Association now recognizes sleep as one of its "Life's Essential 8" for heart health and recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
While the findings suggest regularly getting less sleep may contribute to weight gain, the researchers noted several limitations of the study. They said the six-week study may not have been long enough to detect meaningful changes in body fat, which can take longer to develop than changes in body weight.
The researchers also noted that the study's relatively small sample size limited their ability to compare results among different groups of participants. In addition, some hormone measurements were collected only in the morning and may not have reflected fluctuations that occur throughout the day.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep and Weight
How much sleep do adults need to maintain a healthy weight? The American Heart Association recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night to support overall health, including weight management.
Can skipping sleep cause weight gain even if you don't eat more? Yes. This study found that participants gained about one pound after six weeks of getting 90 minutes less sleep, even though food intake wasn't tracked and exercise levels remained stable.
Who is most at risk for sleep-related weight gain? Women going through menopause may be especially vulnerable because sleep problems become more common during that stage of life, and their metabolism may be less able to handle the impact.
How long does it take for sleep deprivation to affect body fat? Researchers noted that six weeks may not be long enough to detect meaningful changes in body fat, which can take longer to develop than changes in body weight.