Guy Leschziner: Most Replayed Moment: The Link Between Weight Gain and Sleep! Are Sleep Trackers Harmful Or Helpful?

The guest links insufficient or disrupted sleep with changes in appetite and satiety hormones, increased calorie intake, and altered glucose tolerance or insulin resistance. An 18-year follow-up of nurses is offered as evidence of an association: those regularly sleeping less than about six hours began at a somewhat higher weight and gained more over time. That cohort observation and the proposed mechanisms are related pieces of the account, not interchangeable proof that sleep duration alone determines an individual’s weight.

Sleep apnoea provides a clinical example. The guest describes a mask-like treatment that prevents the airway from closing and says some very overweight patients can lose weight more successfully after treatment. He does not promise that treating apnoea guarantees weight loss. When the host asks whether tiredness changes brain reward systems and preference for sugary foods, the guest says some studies suggest altered food choice but declines to give a definitive neural explanation. That admission limits the certainty of the discussion.