MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, N.Y., July 28 (Our New York News) — Should a person worry if they cut sleep by about an hour most nights? Columbia University researchers say the better response is not panic, but attention.
In a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, adults who slept about 80 to 90 minutes less per night for six weeks gained about 1 pound on average, according to Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the journal paper. The study also found a small increase in waist size, about half a centimeter.
What the numbers mean
The change was modest over six weeks. Faris Zuraikat, the study’s first author and an assistant professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia, said in the university’s release that the pattern could become more meaningful if it continued for a year. Columbia quoted him saying that losing less than an hour and a half of sleep per night could lead to clinically meaningful weight gain over time.
How the study worked
Columbia and summaries of the paper said the researchers pooled randomized trials involving 95 adults who were already at higher risk for heart or metabolic disease. The study compared six weeks of adequate sleep with six weeks of sleep restriction.
When sleep was cut, participants also became more sedentary. Columbia said sedentary time rose by an average of 17 minutes per day overall. Among men and postmenopausal women, sedentary time increased by nearly 30 minutes per day.
What this does, and does not, show
The study does not mean one short night will cause weight gain on its own. It suggests that a repeated shortfall in sleep can slowly push weight and waist size upward. Summaries of the journal paper said participants did not show significant changes in body fat or muscle mass during the study period.
Why it matters for daily life
For everyday life, the Columbia findings point to sleep as one part of weight control, alongside food and activity. The main lesson from the study is that small sleep losses can add up when they become a habit, even if the effect is not dramatic in the short term.
