Sleep Less, Gain Weight: Extended Sleep Deprivation Can Widen Your Waistline
People who shortened their sleep by around 80 minutes a night for six weeks gained weight and were more sedentary, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have found.
“Our study shows that getting adequate sleep may help reduce the risk of weight gain and obesity-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes,” says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine in Columbia’s Department of Medicine and Institute for Human Nutrition and study leader. “People tend to gain weight over the course of their adulthood, and obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease. But focusing on eating a healthier diet and getting more physical activity to offset weight gain is simplistic and can be difficult to maintain.”
Much of what's known about the link between insufficient sleep and obesity is based on small, brief studies of people who endured severe sleep restriction (usually 4 hours of sleep opportunity). Such studies show that severe sleep deprivation leads to changes in appetite and overeating, which can contribute to weight gain over time. But most people cannot tolerate severe sleep deprivation for more than a few days. “These studies only show us what happens under the most extreme conditions and don’t tell us if mildly sleep-deprived people, like a lot of Americans who get 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night, will gain weight,” St-Onge says.
“Our study shows that getting adequate sleep may help reduce the risk of weight gain and obesity-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes,” says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine in Columbia’s Department of Medicine and Institute for Human Nutrition and study leader. “People tend to gain weight over the course of their adulthood, and obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease. But focusing on eating a healthier diet and getting more physical activity to offset weight gain is simplistic and can be difficult to maintain.”
Much of what's known about the link between insufficient sleep and obesity is based on small, brief studies of people who endured severe sleep restriction (usually 4 hours of sleep opportunity). Such studies show that severe sleep deprivation leads to changes in appetite and overeating, which can contribute to weight gain over time. But most people cannot tolerate severe sleep deprivation for more than a few days. “These studies only show us what happens under the most extreme conditions and don’t tell us if mildly sleep-deprived people, like a lot of Americans who get 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night, will gain weight,” St-Onge says.