Losing 80 Minutes of Sleep a Night Can Trigger Weight Gain

A study from Columbia University reveals that reducing sleep by just 80 minutes per night can lead to an average weight gain of one pound over six weeks. The research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, involved 95 adults who typically slept seven to eight hours. Participants underwent a six-week period with their normal sleep schedule and another where their bedtime was delayed by 90 minutes. During the sleep-restricted phase, they not only gained weight but also spent an additional 17 minutes per day being sedentary.

Faris Zuraikat, assistant professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University, noted that even when accounting for the extra waking hours, participants were more inactive than when they had sufficient sleep. Clinical sleep health specialist Teresa Power explained that losing sleep directly impacts hormone levels, including ghrelin, leptin, insulin, and cortisol, making individuals feel hungrier and less satisfied after eating. It also heightens activity in the brain’s reward centre, making high-calorie, sugary, and fatty foods more tempting.

Lead author Marie-Pierre St-Onge emphasised that adequate sleep should be considered as important as diet and exercise in managing weight. The researchers cautioned that while a one-pound gain seems modest, the chronic continuation of such sleep patterns significantly increases long-term obesity risk, particularly for shift workers, individuals with high stress, and postmenopausal women.