Bedtime Habits Linked to Weight Loss in Prediabetes Patients
A recent randomized controlled trial has revealed that going to bed earlier may facilitate weight loss among individuals diagnosed with prediabetes. The findings were published in the journal Nursing Research.
The study explored the impact of incorporating sleep coaching into a diabetes prevention program, with participants reporting improved sleep quality and reduced daytime fatigue. However, there were no noticeable changes in blood sugar levels as a result of the interventions.
“The timing of when we fall asleep—not just the duration of sleep—appears to play a crucial role in weight management and metabolic health,” stated Susan Kohl Malone, the lead author and assistant professor at New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing.
Research indicates that inadequate sleep, characterized by less than seven hours per night, late bedtimes, or inconsistent sleep schedules, is linked with weight gain and impaired glucose regulation. Insufficient sleep tends to elevate stress hormones, such as cortisol, contributing to insulin resistance and altering hunger hormones, leading to increased appetite. Moreover, sleeping late may encourage late-night snacking when insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance are at their lowest.
“Conversely, retiring earlier could potentially curtail late-night eating and align food consumption with the body’s optimal metabolic window,” Malone emphasized.
To delve deeper into the interplay between sleep health and diabetes prevention, Malone and her team conducted a randomized trial involving 196 adults aged 21 to 64 who reported sleeping less than 6.5 hours a night. Participants were allocated to either a standard eight-week lifestyle program or a program supplemented with sleep coaching.
Over the course of the study, participants engaged in weekly video sessions focusing on healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management strategies for diabetes prevention. Individuals in the lifestyle-plus-sleep group also received specialized training on sleep hygiene, reconditioning their perception of the bed as a cue for sleep, and gradually adjusting their bedtime to enhance overall sleep duration. All participants maintained daily sleep diaries and utilized continuous glucose monitors to track glucose levels, alongside research-grade wrist monitors to track sleep patterns.
Ultimately, neither program demonstrated a change in glucose levels. However, improvements were observed in sleep quality and weight loss across both groups, with the lifestyle-plus-sleep group reporting significantly better outcomes in sleep quality and reduced daytime sleepiness. Furthermore, this group experienced a notable shift in bedtime towards earlier hours.
Analysis of the entire participant group revealed that an earlier bedtime correlated with increased weight loss, independent of sleep duration. Specifically, each hour that participants fell asleep earlier was linked to approximately 1.3 pounds of weight loss over the eight-week period.
In addition to curbing late-night eating habits, the research team identified various mechanisms that may elucidate how earlier sleep onset contributes to weight management. Prolonged wakefulness has been associated with heightened exposure to artificial light, heightened sympathetic nervous system activity, and an increase in appetite driven by the “hunger hormone” ghrelin.
“We anticipated that extending sleep would enhance glucose levels and weight loss among adults with prediabetes who typically sleep less, but our results did not confirm this hypothesis,” Malone noted. “Nonetheless, our findings suggest that an earlier sleep onset, irrespective of total sleep time, could represent a valuable strategy for enhancing metabolic health.”
Coauthors of this study include Jinyu Hu, Chitvan Goyal, and Gail D’Eramo Melkus from NYU Meyers, along with Freda Patterson from the University of Delaware. The research received funding from the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the conclusions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health.
Source: New York University
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