This internal medicine MD says the effect “is especially true for” half the population, who see a 250% increase in their risk.
Often mentioned at the same time as other important habits, such as eating well, staying active, and avoiding smoking, getting enough sleep—usually seven to nine hours a night for adults—is a vital part of staying healthy. In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) includes healthy sleep on its “Life’s Essential 8,” a key list of lifestyle choices that support long-term health and longevity. According to the AHA, a lack of quality sleep is linked to a wide range of serious health issues, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, inflammation, problems with blood sugar, poor mental health, and even a higher risk of early death from all causes. Simply put, sleep is more than rest—it’s a cornerstone of overall well-being.
Yet there’s more evidence that getting a good night’s sleep could help your health—or that skimping on shut-eye could harm it. Board-certified internist Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, tells The Healthy by Reader’s Digest that getting less than seven hours of sleep is linked with an “almost doubled risk of obesity.”
Dr. Teitelbaum points to a 2021 study, published in the BioMed Central Public Health journal, which analyzed the health habits of 2,459 people who took part in a national health survey. Researchers asked participants about their sleep habits using a questionnaire and grouped them based on how much they slept: short sleepers, normal sleepers, and long sleepers, following guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation. They also measured people’s body weight and used statistical models to look at the connection between sleep and weight.
Dr. Teitelbaum, who is also an expert on chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sleep and pain, notes that while all of the study subjects who slept less than seven hours were more likely to be obese, the findings were “especially true” for half the population: women who slept too little were about 2.5 times more likely to be overweight and about 2.6 times more likely to be obese. Conversely, getting too much sleep was also associated with some weight gain.
“Until lightbulbs were invented, the average night’s sleep was nine hours per night,” Dr. Teitelbaum says. “We are now down to an average of 6.75 hours per night. This is a problem.”
As the study explains, poor sleep appears to increase the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease the satiety hormone leptin, leading to a higher calorie intake and a disrupted balance between energy intake and expenditure. Those who slept less than seven hours were also more likely to follow diets that were higher in sugar, carbs, fat, and cholesterol, and lower in fiber.
Dr. Teitelbaum notes that those suffering from poor sleep can take charge of their health using lifestyle interventions. In particular, he recommends sleeping in total darkness, since this fosters healthy production of the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and helps maintain circadian rhythms. Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these sleep best practices:
- Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.
- Keeping your bedroom quiet, relaxing, and at a cool temperature.
- Turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Avoiding large meals and alcohol before bedtime.
- Avoiding caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
- Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet.
If your sleep problems don’t resolve after making certain changes, be sure to speak with your doctor to rule out any underlying health conditions or other potential concerns.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
