Insufficient Sleep May Hinder Ability to Maintain Weight Loss
People with obesity who lose weight through diet may struggle to maintain weight loss if they aren’t getting enough sleep. This was the finding of a study published in the journal Sleep (December 2022). The study included 195 adults with obesity who completed an eight-week, low-calorie diet and were assigned to a one-year weight loss maintenance program. The researchers found that after losing 29 pounds, those participants who routinely slept less than six hours a night regained about 11 pounds during the maintenance phase, while those who slept six hours or more maintained the weight loss. Those who slept less than six hours also had less reduction of percentage of body fat than those who slept six hours or more. Those who reported having poor sleep quality before weight loss regained over seven pounds during the maintenance phase.
