How Losing Around 80 Minutes of Sleep a Night Could Drive Weight Gain and Inactivity
Key Takeaways:
- Adults who cut their nightly sleep by about 80 minutes over six weeks gained roughly one pound (around 0.45 kg) on average and became more sedentary, Columbia University researchers found.
- Modest over six weeks, but the team estimates that sustaining this mild sleep loss for a year could cause clinically meaningful weight gain – a pattern affecting around 30% of adults.
- Related work in the same participants linked mild sleep restriction to greater insulin resistance and heart inflammation, pointing to a wider risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Why modest sleep loss deserves attention
Trimming a little sleep each night may carry more weight for your health than you might realise. Researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found that adults who shortened their nightly sleep by about 80 minutes over a six-week period gained an average of one pound and spent more of their waking hours being inactive.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that consistently getting enough sleep may play an important role in preventing weight gain and in lowering the risk of obesity-related disease. Rather than pointing solely to diet and exercise, the results place sleep alongside them as a factor worth taking seriously.
“Our study shows that getting adequate sleep may help reduce the risk of weight gain and obesity-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes,” says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine in Columbia’s Department of Medicine and Institute for Human Nutrition and the study leader. “People tend to gain weight over the course of their adulthood, and obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease. But focusing on eating a healthier diet and getting more physical activity to offset weight gain is simplistic and can be difficult to maintain.”
Looking beyond extreme sleep deprivation
Much of the earlier research connecting poor sleep with obesity has centred on severe sleep deprivation, frequently restricting people to as little as four hours of sleep a night. Those studies indicated that extreme sleep loss can heighten appetite and encourage overeating – behaviours that in turn contribute to weight gain.
The difficulty is that such severe restriction is hard for most people to sustain for more than a few days, which limits how far the results can be applied to everyday life. Very few people live with four hours of sleep for weeks at a time, so the relevance of those findings to the wider population has remained uncertain.
“These studies only show us what happens under the most extreme conditions and don’t tell us if mildly sleep-deprived people, like a lot of Americans who get 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night, will gain weight,” St-Onge says.
To reflect real-world habits more closely, the researchers set out to examine the effects of chronic, mild sleep loss – a pattern estimated to affect around 30% of adults.
Six weeks of less sleep led to measurable changes
The study involved 95 adults who typically slept between seven and eight hours each night. During one six-week phase, participants delayed their usual bedtime by 90 minutes, which shortened their nightly sleep. During a separate six-week phase, they kept to their normal sleep schedule, allowing each participant to serve as their own comparison.
Across both phases, participants wore wrist monitors that tracked sleep and physical activity. The researchers also measured body weight, waist circumference, body composition, and fasting levels of several hormones involved in regulating appetite, building a detailed picture of how the body responded to the change.
“While the one-pound weight gain observed with modest sleep curtailment is not overwhelming, it is important to remember this is occurring over just six weeks,” says Faris Zuraikat, assistant professor of nutritional medicine in Columbia’s Department of Medicine and Institute for Human Nutrition and first author of the study. “Our study was designed to mimic sleep patterns that most adults experience chronically. When extrapolated to a full year, we would expect that losing less than an hour and a half of sleep per night could result in clinically meaningful weight gain.”
Less sleep also meant more sitting
Alongside the change in weight, the researchers found that participants became less active during the sleep-restriction phase. On average, sedentary time rose by 17 minutes per day. Among men and postmenopausal women, inactivity climbed by nearly 30 minutes each day.
Notably, this increase in sitting held up even after accounting for the extra waking hours that come with shorter sleep – so the added inactivity was not simply a matter of being awake for longer.
“Even when we accounted for the fact that they were awake longer when sleep was shortened, participants spent more time being inactive than when they got adequate sleep,” Zuraikat says. “This is notable, as people who are more sedentary have elevated risk for chronic diseases.”
Earlier research suggests broader health effects
The same group of participants has featured in several related studies, which together suggest that the consequences of mild sleep loss may extend well beyond weight. In one earlier investigation, women with increased cardiometabolic risk who reduced their sleep by about 80 minutes each night for six weeks developed greater insulin resistance – an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The effect was particularly pronounced in postmenopausal women.
A separate study found that men and women with an elevated risk of heart disease developed an influx of inflammatory cells in the heart after undergoing mild sleep restriction, hinting at a possible mechanism linking short sleep to cardiovascular harm.
“Though more research is needed to further understand how sleep restriction leads to weight gain, all of our findings suggest that insufficient sleep increases the risk of obesity-related conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” St-Onge says.
“Now we need to understand the health effects of improving sleep in those who fail to get adequate sleep on a regular basis.”
About the study
The study, titled “Skimping on Sleep and Its Impact on Body Weight and Composition: A Pooled Analysis of Randomized Trials,” was published on 6 July in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The authors are Faris Zuraikat, Samantha Scaccia, Justin Cochran, Bin Cheng, Keith Diaz, Seth Creasy (University of Colorado), Brooke Aggarwal, Sanja Jelic, and Marie-Pierre St-Onge. The authors report no conflicts of interest.
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Digital Therapy Outperforms Campus Clinic Referrals Among College Students
Key Takeaways:
- College students who received a digitally delivered therapy programme were significantly more likely to engage with treatment than those referred to campus counselling services.
- Students using the digital intervention were more likely to be symptom free at six weeks, six months and two years after the intervention.
- Researchers found the app-based approach not only treated existing mental health disorders but also appeared to help prevent new disorders from developing in students considered at high risk.
A digital alternative to traditional campus counselling
A large U.S. study led by researchers at Penn State has found that college students living with anxiety, depression and eating disorders may benefit more from a digitally delivered therapy programme than from referrals to traditional campus counselling clinics.
Published in Nature Human Behaviour, the study examined whether a proactive digital mental health intervention could improve treatment uptake and mental health outcomes among university students at a time when demand for psychological support services continues to rise sharply.
Researchers noted that between 40% and 60% of college students globally experience a mental health disorder at some stage during their academic life. At the same time, many universities have struggled to expand counselling services quickly enough to meet growing demand.
The research team therefore investigated whether a digitally delivered therapy app based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles could provide a scalable and effective alternative to standard referrals for in-person support.
How the digital therapy programme worked
The commercially available app used in the study incorporated CBT-based techniques designed to help individuals identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop behavioural strategies to manage them.
Students assigned to the digital intervention received access to structured therapeutic modules together with support from trained therapy coaches. The programme offered six to eight modules for each mental health condition, with each module lasting approximately 20 minutes.
Participants in the digital therapy group completed an average of 2.4 modules and received roughly 15 supportive messages from a trained coach during the intervention period.
According to the researchers, students initially focused on modules related to their primary mental health concern before progressing to additional modules targeting co-occurring conditions.
Lead author Michelle Newman, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Penn State, said the team was particularly interested in whether students would meaningfully engage with the digital intervention.
“One of the challenges with any digital intervention is that people sometimes download an app but then do not use it,” said Newman.
“We were also interested in learning the extent to which people actually received services after being randomized to the app or on-campus counseling center. We found that uptake was significantly better in the digital intervention than referral to the counseling center.”
Digital intervention achieved much higher service uptake
One of the clearest findings from the study was the substantial difference in treatment engagement between the two groups.
Researchers found that service uptake was seven times higher among students assigned to the digital intervention compared with those referred to campus counselling centres.
Approximately 74% of participants who received access to the app began the programme. By comparison, only 30% of those referred to university counselling services received at least one therapy session or obtained a new prescription for medication.
The researchers said this suggested that digital interventions may lower some of the practical or psychological barriers that prevent students from accessing conventional mental health support.
Large population-level screening across 26 universities
To conduct the study, researchers partnered with 26 colleges and universities across the United States and used what they described as a population-level recruitment strategy.
Emails inviting participation in a mental health screening were sent to entire student bodies across participating institutions.
A total of 39,194 individuals completed the initial screening. Of these, 6,205 students either had clinical levels of mental health disorders or were identified as being at high risk of developing them.
The disorders assessed included:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Depression
- Eating disorders
Eligible participants then completed a baseline survey before being randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received six months of access to the coached digital intervention, while the second group received referrals to their campus counselling centres.
Improvements were observed across multiple timepoints
The researchers reported that students using the digital intervention were more likely to be symptom free than students in the campus referral group at every follow-up stage assessed in the study.
Compared with students referred to campus services, participants using the app showed:
- A 4.3% lower prevalence of any mental health disorder at six weeks
- A 4.9% lower prevalence at six months
- A 3.8% lower prevalence at the two-year follow-up
The findings suggested that the digital intervention both treated existing disorders and reduced the likelihood of new disorders emerging over time.
Newman said one distinctive feature of the study was its focus on multiple mental health conditions simultaneously.
“A unique aspect of the work was that we screened for five disorders—generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression and eating disorders—and measured all disorders at every point in the treatment, because we know that disorders like depression and anxiety often co-occur, but that co-occurrence doesn’t necessarily happen simultaneously,” Newman said.
“The digital intervention overall had a significantly larger number of individuals who had no disorders at every timepoint in the study. We did not just treat individuals with clinical levels of these disorders, but we also prevented the onset in more of those in the digital intervention who screened to be at risk.”
Study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic
The research took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, with recruitment occurring between October 2019 and November 2021. Data collection was completed by October 2023.
The researchers said the timing highlighted the potential value of digital mental health interventions during periods when access to face-to-face services may be disrupted or limited.
However, Newman suggested the approach could remain valuable well beyond the pandemic and may have applications outside university settings.
“This approach could potentially be used anywhere where you have access to a full population in terms of email addresses, like at a company, to help disseminate mental health services that people might not think about seeking,” she said.
She added that proactive screening could help identify individuals who are both living with mental health disorders and those at high risk of developing them before conditions worsen.
Future research will explore personalised digital mental health support
The next phase of the research will focus on identifying which individuals are most likely to benefit from digital mental health interventions.
Newman said future work, led alongside Penn State graduate student Adam Calderon, will analyse data from the current study and earlier projects conducted by Newman’s laboratory to better understand the personal characteristics that predict successful outcomes with digital therapy approaches.
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Virtual Care Could Reduce Hospital Admissions in Severe Eating Disorders, Study Finds
Key Takeaways:
- A fully virtual, multidisciplinary treatment programme demonstrated strong engagement and positive clinical outcomes for adults living with severe eating disorders
- Structured online support during high-risk transition periods may help reduce hospital admissions and sustain recovery following discharge
- The model highlights the potential for digitally delivered, evidence-based care to bridge gaps between inpatient and community services
Evaluating a new approach to severe eating disorder care
An evaluation conducted by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has examined whether intensive, fully virtual treatment can effectively support people living with severe eating disorders. The study, published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, focused on a service known as Step Care, developed through the HOPE Provider Collaborative.
Researchers describe this as the first prospective study to investigate a completely virtual, intensive treatment model using multidisciplinary enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E). The programme is designed to support individuals as they transition between inpatient treatment and community-based care.
This period of transition is widely recognised as a critical phase in recovery. People living with severe eating disorders face a particularly high risk of relapse shortly after discharge from hospital, especially within the first two months. The study therefore explored whether structured virtual support during this vulnerable period could help maintain recovery and reduce the likelihood of readmission.
Addressing gaps in existing services
Step Care was developed in response to well-documented challenges within eating disorder services. These include fragmented transitions between inpatient and community care, repeated hospital admissions, and limited access to intensive day treatment.
The service is delivered entirely online and brings together a multidisciplinary team, including professionals from psychology, nursing, dietetics, and art therapy. This integrated approach aims to provide consistent and coordinated care across different stages of recovery.
Step Care operates through three distinct pathways:
- Starting Well – for individuals at risk of requiring hospital admission, with a focus on prevention
- Staying Well – for those recently discharged from inpatient care, supporting early recovery
- Working towards Recovery – for individuals who have begun restoring weight and are focusing on longer-term recovery
Lucy Gardner, professional lead dietitian within the Step Care service, highlighted the importance of integrating nutritional support within a broader therapeutic framework:
“Nutrition plays a crucial role in mental health, yet access to the right level of dietetic support is often inconsistent,” she said. “Our model offers a clear, evidence-informed way to tailor dietetic input to individual need, delivering CBT-E virtually as part of a multidisciplinary team.”
Positive outcomes across key measures
The evaluation reported high levels of engagement and programme completion, including among individuals who had been living with eating disorders for an extended period.
Participants within the Starting Well pathway experienced significant improvements across several clinical and psychological measures, including:
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Eating disorder symptoms
- Psychosocial impairment
- Mood
Importantly, most individuals in this group were able to avoid hospital admission during the course of the programme.
For those in the Staying Well pathway, outcomes were also encouraging. Participants maintained their weight and experienced a reduction in the overall impact of their illness during a period typically associated with high relapse risk. Unplanned hospital admissions were reported to be rare, and many individuals were successfully supported in transitioning to community-based care.
Sharon Ryan, nurse lead within the Step Care service, emphasised the importance of this post-discharge phase:
“The weeks after leaving hospital are often the most fragile,” she said. “Step Care provides consistent multi-disciplinary support at that point, helping people maintain their recovery with support to feel safe and confident out of hospital.”
Implications for future care models
The findings suggest that intensive, evidence-based treatment for severe eating disorders can be delivered effectively in a virtual format. This approach may offer a valuable additional option for supporting individuals at home, particularly during critical transition periods.
Agnes Ayton, clinical lead for the HOPE Provider Collaborative, explained the underlying aim of the service:
“Step Care was designed to bridge the gap between inpatient and community services,” she said. “The findings show that intensive, evidence-based treatment can be delivered safely online, providing continuity of care at a time when people are most vulnerable.”
She also noted that both engagement and clinical outcomes were encouraging, including among individuals who had experienced long-term illness.
A complement to existing services
The authors conclude that virtual programmes such as Step Care may serve as an important complement to traditional inpatient and community services. By providing structured, multidisciplinary support during high-risk periods, these models have the potential to enhance continuity of care and support sustained recovery for people living with severe eating disorders.
As healthcare systems continue to explore digital and hybrid models of care, this study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that virtual interventions can play a meaningful role in complex, long-term conditions.
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