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Prolonged Sleep Restriction May Increase Body Weight

In a pooled analysis of two randomized crossover trials, reducing nightly sleep by about 1.5 hours for 6 weeks was associated with modest increases in body weight and waist circumference without measurable changes in body composition.

  • By

  • Andrea Surnit

  • July 9, 2026

  • 3 min

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  • 1

    Reducing nightly sleep by 1.5 hours for 6 weeks may lead to modest weight gain among adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk.

  • 2

    The study involved 95 adult participants who habitually slept at least 7 hours per night and were assigned to sleep restriction and adequate sleep periods.

  • 3

    Sleep restriction resulted in a mean increase of 0.45 kg in body weight and 0.52 cm in waist circumference compared to adequate sleep.

  • 4

    Participants engaged in 17 more minutes of sedentary behavior during the sleep restriction period, with higher fasting leptin concentrations observed.

  • 5

    The study had limitations, including a brief intervention duration and a small sample size, which may affect generalizability and subgroup analyses.

Original Source(s)

Prolonged Sleep Restriction May Increase Body Weight

  • by Andrea Surnit

  • July 9, 2026

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