These factors also increase your risk of diabetes ( 36, 37). Plus, sleep deprivation is associated with a higher risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. It’s thought that sleep deprivation can cause physiological changes like decreased insulin sensitivity, increased inflammation, and hunger hormone changes, as well as behavioral changes like poor decision making and greater food intake - all of which increase diabetes risk ( 36). In fact, an analysis of 36 studies in over 1 million participants found that very short sleep of fewer than 5 hours and short sleep of fewer than 6 hours increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 48% and 18%, respectively ( 35). Short sleep is associated with a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance - which is when your body cannot use the hormone insulin properly ( 34). Affects sugar metabolism and type 2 diabetes risk

Sleeping fewer than seven hours per night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.ĥ. Interestingly, excessive sleep in adults - more than 9 hours - was also shown to increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure ( 29, 30, 33). In fact, one study found that people who slept fewer than 5 hours per night had a 61% higher risk of developing high blood pressure than those who slept 7 hours ( 33). What’s more, short sleep appears to increase the risk of high blood pressure, especially in those with obstructive sleep apnea - a condition characterized by interrupted breathing during sleep ( 31, 32). One analysis of 19 studies found that sleeping fewer than 7 hours per day resulted in a 13% increased risk of death from heart disease ( 29).Īnother analysis found that compared with 7 hours of sleep, each 1-hour decrease in sleep was associated with a 6% increased risk of all-cause mortality and heart disease ( 30). Low sleep quality and duration may increase your risk of developing heart disease ( 26, 27, 28). In particular, you’re more likely to eat foods high in sugar and fat. Sleep deprivation may increase your appetite and cause you to eat more calories. Short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity and weight gain. So, prioritizing sleep may support healthy body weight. To make matters worse, feeling tired after a night of too little sleep may leave you feeling unmotivated to hit the gym, go for a walk, or do whichever other physical activity you enjoy. What’s more, to compensate for lack of energy, sleep deprivation may make you crave foods that are higher in sugar and fat, due to their higher calorie content ( 10, 11). This is supported by various studies that have shown that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories ( 8, 9).

This may cause us to feel hungrier and overeat ( 7). Ghrelin is a hormone that makes us feel hungry while leptin makes us feel full. The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be affected by numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise ( 5).įor instance, sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin and decreases levels of leptin. Meanwhile, sleeping longer didn’t increase the risk ( 6).

In fact, a 2020 analysis found that adults who slept fewer than 7 hours per night had a whopping 41% increased risk of developing obesity. Numerous studies have associated short sleep - defined as sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night - with a greater risk of weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI) ( 3, 4, 5).

Imp wellness