New Study Links Earlier Bedtime to Weight Loss Benefits for Prediabetic Individuals

Study Links Early Bedtime to Weight Loss in Prediabetic Individuals

A recent randomized controlled trial has revealed that individuals with prediabetes may benefit from earlier bedtimes, leading to weight loss. The findings were published in the journal Nursing Research.

This study demonstrated that incorporating sleep coaching into a diabetes prevention program resulted in improved sleep quality and reduced daytime sleepiness among participants, although there was no significant change in blood sugar levels.

Researchers highlight sleep timing as a potential new strategy for weight management. “The timing of sleep, not just its duration, is a significant and often neglected factor affecting weight loss and metabolic health,” stated Susan Kohl Malone, assistant professor at New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing and principal investigator of the study.

Research indicates that inadequate sleep—defined as less than seven hours per night, irregular bedtime schedules, or going to bed late—is associated with weight gain and impaired glucose regulation. Insufficient sleep can elevate stress hormones like cortisol, which contribute to insulin resistance and hormonal fluctuations that increase appetite and food consumption. Conversely, a late bedtime can lead to late-night snacking, a period when insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance are typically lower.

“Going to bed earlier may reduce late-night eating and align eating patterns with the body’s optimal metabolic window,” Malone noted.

To investigate the role of sleep health in diabetes prevention further, Malone and her team conducted a study involving 196 adults aged 21 to 64 with prediabetes who reported sleeping less than 6.5 hours each night. Participants were divided into two groups: one engaged in an eight-week lifestyle intervention, while the other received the lifestyle program supplemented with sleep education.

Over the course of the study, participants attended weekly video sessions where they learned about nutritious eating, physical activity, and stress management tailored for diabetes prevention. Those in the sleep-enhanced group participated in sessions focused on sleep hygiene, techniques to associate the bed with sleep, and a gradual adjustment of their bedtime to promote longer sleep durations. All participants maintained daily sleep logs and were monitored using continuous glucose monitors as well as research-grade wrist devices to track sleep patterns.

While both groups did not exhibit significant changes in glucose levels, improvements in sleep quality and weight loss were noted. Notably, the sleep coaching group experienced more substantial gains in sleep quality and reduced daytime drowsiness, along with a noticeable shift to earlier sleep onset.

Across all participants, those who fell asleep earlier showed greater weight loss, with an estimated loss of approximately 1.3 pounds for each hour that bedtime was advanced over the eight-week period.

In addition to reducing late-night eating habits, the researchers identified several factors that could explain the weight loss linked to earlier sleep. These include increased exposure to artificial light during late-night hours, heightened activity of the sympathetic nervous system, and elevated appetite driven by the hormone ghrelin.

“Although we anticipated that increased sleep duration would positively influence blood glucose levels and aid weight loss in individuals with shorter sleep times, our study did not support this hypothesis,” Malone explained.

“Nonetheless, our results suggest that shifting sleep onset earlier may represent a promising avenue for enhancing metabolic health.”

Co-authors of the study include Jinyu Hu, Chitvan Goyal, and Gail D’Eramo Melkus from NYU Meyers, along with Freda Patterson of the University of Delaware. This research was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research. The views expressed in this report solely reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official perspective of the National Institutes of Health.

Source: New York University