Sleep Reduction Causes Weight Gain and Raises Diabetes Risk

A study by Columbia University researchers found that cutting nightly sleep by about 1½ hours for six weeks led adults at high cardiometabolic risk to gain roughly half a kilogram, increase waist circumference, and become more sedentary. The trial involved 95 participants aged 20 and older who normally slept at least seven hours. During the restricted‑sleep phase, participants’ inactivity rose by an average of 17 minutes per day, with post‑menopausal women showing about a 30‑minute daily increase.

The investigators also observed heightened insulin resistance in women and a rise in inflammatory heart cells in both sexes, linking short sleep to greater diabetes‑type 2 and cardiovascular disease risk. Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the authors suggest that sleep‑duration strategies should be incorporated into weight‑control and cardiometabolic‑prevention programs.

Spanish‑language health outlets reported the same findings, emphasizing the long‑term health costs of losing an hour and a half of sleep each night, including weight gain, sedentary habits, and a higher chance of developing diabetes.