Scientists from Columbia University in New York have found that regularly losing sleep while watching late-night football can gradually lead to weight gain and increase health risks. The study's findings were published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Matches of the World Cup, which lasts for about six weeks, often start late in the evening Ashgabat time, causing fans to sacrifice sleep to watch the games.

The study involved 95 adults who typically slept seven to eight hours a night. For six weeks, the participants consciously delayed their bedtime by an hour and a half, then returned to their normal sleep schedule for another six weeks. Scientists recorded sleep duration using wearable sensors and simultaneously monitored body weight, waist circumference, body composition, and levels of hormones responsible for appetite.

According to the study's lead author, Faris Zuraikat, an associate professor of nutrition at Columbia University, over six weeks of sleep deprivation, participants gained an average of about half a kilogram (one pound), while also increasing their sitting time by nearly 17 minutes per day. He said that if these data were extended over a year, regularly losing less than an hour and a half of sleep per night could lead to clinically significant weight gain.

Nutrition professor Marie-Pierre Saint-Onge noted that adequate sleep can reduce the risk of weight gain and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. She explained that people generally tend to gain weight as they age, and obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

The authors of the study emphasized that previous studies typically examined the effects of acute and severe sleep deprivation, whereas this time, the scientists deliberately modeled a more moderate and chronic sleep deprivation—the kind experienced by a significant portion of the adult population. The researchers estimate that about a third of adults regularly sleep only five to six hours a night.

It was also noted that sleep-deprived participants remained less active during the day, even after adjusting for the fact that they were awake longer than usual. In earlier studies involving the same volunteers, researchers found that moderate sleep restriction increased insulin resistance in women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, with the effect being more pronounced in postmenopausal women. Another study found an increase in the number of inflammatory cells in the hearts of participants with elevated cardiovascular risk after similar periods of sleep deprivation.

The researchers added that the mechanisms linking sleep deprivation to weight gain require further study, but the available evidence generally suggests that sleep deprivation increases the risk of obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.