Studies Link 90 Minutes Less Sleep to 0.45-Kg Weight Gain as Blood Sugar Risk Rises
Updated
Updated · en.sedaily.com · Aug 13
Studies Link 90 Minutes Less Sleep to 0.45-Kg Weight Gain as Blood Sugar Risk Rises
3 articles · Updated · en.sedaily.com · Aug 13
Summary
Columbia researchers found that 95 at-risk adults who slept 90 minutes less than usual for six weeks gained an average 0.45 kilograms versus periods of adequate sleep.
The team tied that gain to metabolic dysfunction, while a separate analysis of 23,475 U.S. adults found 7 hours 18 minutes of sleep was linked to the lowest insulin-resistance risk.
Hormonal changes help explain the effect: too little sleep raises ghrelin, lowers leptin and disrupts insulin control, making appetite harder to curb and post-meal blood sugar spikes harder to manage.
Korean data point to the same pattern—sleep-deprived adults showed more abdominal obesity and irregular eating habits—and a 2024 survey put average sleep in Korea at 6 hours 58 minutes, 18% below the OECD average.
The studies and experts converge on a practical target of about seven hours nightly, with dark bedrooms, fewer devices, limited naps and no caffeine after midafternoon.