Chronic Sleep Deprivation Linked to Weight Gain and Increased Sedentary Time: Study
USA: A pooled analysis of two randomized trials suggests that chronic sleep restriction may contribute to weight gain and reduced physical activity in adults with elevated cardiometabolic risk. Participants who typically slept at least 7 hours per night gained an average of 1 lb over 6 weeks after reducing their sleep by 1.5 hours each night. Sleep loss was also associated with an additional 17.2 minutes of sedentary time per day, even after adjusting for time spent in bed.
The findings strengthen evidence for a causal relationship between insufficient sleep and weight gain, highlighting the importance of addressing sleep duration as part of weight management and obesity prevention strategies.
The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, come from a pooled analysis led by Faris M. Zuraikat, PhD, of the New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA.
Although observational studies have linked insufficient sleep to obesity, its causal effect on body weight has remained unclear. To examine this, researchers pooled data from two randomized crossover trials involving 95 adults aged 20 years or older with elevated cardiometabolic risk who typically slept at least seven hours per night. Participants completed two six-week study periods—one with adequate sleep and another with sleep restricted by approximately 1.5 hours per night—separated by a washout period. Researchers evaluated body weight, waist circumference, body fat distribution using MRI, physical activity, sedentary time, and metabolic biomarkers.
Key findings:
- Nightly sleep duration decreased by an average of 78.4 minutes during the sleep restriction period compared with adequate sleep.
- Participants gained an average of 0.45 kg (approximately 1 lb) after six weeks of sleep restriction.
- Waist circumference increased by 0.52 cm during the sleep restriction phase.
- Whole-body volume also increased, indicating overall gains in body size.
- Levels of leptin, a hormone involved in regulating appetite and energy balance, were significantly higher following sleep restriction.
- Participants spent an additional 17.2 minutes per day in sedentary activities during the sleep restriction period.
- No substantial changes in body composition were detected over the six-week intervention.
The researchers said the findings provide experimental evidence that sustained, moderate sleep restriction can promote weight gain and increase sedentary behavior in adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk. However, they noted that the six-week intervention may have been too short to detect changes in body composition, the sample size limited subgroup analyses by sex and menopausal status, and the observed effects were modest.
Despite these limitations, they concluded that adequate sleep should be considered alongside healthy diet and physical activity in weight management and cardiometabolic disease prevention strategies.
Reference:
Faris M. Zuraikat, Samantha E. Scaccia, Justin A. Cochran, et al. Prolonged Short Sleep and Its Effect on Body Weight and Composition: A Pooled Analysis of Randomized Trials. Ann Intern Med. [Epub 7 July 2026]. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-25-01660
Next Story