Skipping sleep may pack on pounds faster than you think, new study finds - Fox News

What the report says

Fox News reported on new research from Columbia University Irving Medical Center suggesting that regularly sleeping less may be linked to modest short-term weight gain. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed 95 adults who were already considered at risk for heart or metabolic disease. Researchers compared a six-week period of adequate sleep with a six-week period in which participants slept about 90 minutes less per night.

According to Fox, participants weighed about one pound more on average after the sleep-restricted period and also had slightly larger waist measurements. Their moderate and vigorous exercise levels were broadly similar, though they spent more time sitting. The study did not find significant changes in fat or muscle mass, and researchers did not measure participants’ food intake, leaving the cause of the weight change unclear.

Fox also cited Dr. Somi Javaid, an Ohio-based OB-GYN and founder of HerMD who was not involved in the research, who said sleep is important to metabolic regulation. She noted that menopause may make sleep disruption and weight regulation more difficult for some women. The article also referenced the American Heart Association’s inclusion of sleep in its “Life’s Essential 8” health framework and its recommendation that adults generally get seven to nine hours per night.

The findings add to broader evidence that sleep habits can affect cardiometabolic health, but the study had limits. Researchers noted the sample was relatively small, the six-week window may have been too brief to detect body composition changes, and some hormone measures were taken only in the morning.