Good health depends on more than healthy food and regular exercise. One daily habit that many people overlook is sleep.
Modern life often encourages people to sleep less because of work, study, entertainment, or family commitments.
Missing an hour of sleep may seem unimportant, especially if it happens regularly, but scientists are discovering that even small reductions in sleep can affect the body’s metabolism.
Metabolism is the way the body turns food into energy and controls how calories are stored or used.
When sleep is cut short, this system may become less efficient. A new study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center adds to growing evidence that getting enough sleep is an important part of protecting long-term health. The research was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The investigators combined information from two randomized clinical trials to provide a clearer picture than either study alone. Together, the trials included 95 adults aged 20 years and older who normally slept at least seven hours every night.
All participants had factors that increased their risk of cardiometabolic disease, including conditions linked with heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.
Each volunteer completed two six-week study periods. During one period they maintained their normal sleeping habits. During the other they intentionally reduced their nightly sleep by about one and a half hours.
Throughout the study, researchers carefully measured body weight, waist circumference, body fat, physical activity, and biological markers related to energy use.
The findings were consistent. When participants slept less, they became slightly heavier, their waistlines became a little larger, and they spent more time sitting instead of moving.
While the differences appeared modest over only a few weeks, they suggest that repeated sleep loss over many months or years could gradually increase body weight and raise disease risk.
Scientists believe several biological changes may explain these results. Poor sleep can increase tiredness, making people less likely to be physically active.
It may also affect hormones that regulate hunger and fullness, encouraging overeating. Some people also consume extra calories simply because they remain awake for longer. The researchers say these findings support including sleep advice in programs designed to prevent obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Doctors routinely discuss diet, smoking, blood pressure, and exercise, but conversations about sleep may be just as valuable. Improving sleep habits can often be achieved through simple lifestyle changes, including keeping regular bedtimes, avoiding bright screens before bed, and making the bedroom comfortable and quiet.
This study has several strengths because it used randomized crossover methods and directly compared the same participants under different sleep conditions. However, the sample size was limited, and the research cannot show what happens over many years. Future studies involving more people and longer follow-up will help answer these questions.
Overall, the evidence suggests that consistently losing even a small amount of sleep should not be ignored. Healthy sleep appears to be another important tool for maintaining a healthy weight and lowering the risk of future heart and metabolic disease.
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