Research
Hormonal
Short sleep duration is independently associated with an increased risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in epidemiological studies, even after controlling for BMI and other lifestyle factors.
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. Epidemiological data shows that consistently sleeping less than 6-7 hours is linked to higher rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, independent of diet and exercise. Prioritizing sleep duration is a key strategy for long-term metabolic health.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Consistent with these laboratory findings, a growing body of epidemiological evidence supports an association between short sleep duration and the risk for obesity and diabetes.
Why this rating
Multiple large prospective studies and cross-sectional analyses show consistent associations.
Source
Sleep loss: a novel risk factor for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes
Karine Spiegel et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2005
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00660.2005
narrative_reviewCited 1,176×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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