You can put gaining extra inches on your waistline to the list of health issues related to a lack of shut-eye – a list that already includes faster cell ageing, neuron damage, and reduced memory capability¹.

睡眠不足会带来一系列的健康问题，其中包括细胞迅速衰老、神经元损伤以及记忆力减退，还会导致你的腰围增加。

That's the conclusion of new research that found adults sleeping for six hours a night had average waist measurements 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) larger than those sleeping for nine hours a night.

一项新研究发现，每晚睡6小时的成年人的腰围平均比每晚睡9小时的成年人的要粗3厘米（1.2英寸）。

"Our findings support the accumulating evidence showing an important contribution of short sleep to metabolic² diseases such as obesity³," report the researchers.

研究人员表示，“越来越多的证据表明，睡眠不足会引起新陈代谢疾病，例如肥胖，我们的研究成果支持了这一观点。”

The data also showed a link between shorter sleep times and reduced levels of HDL cholesterol⁴, the 'good' type of cholesterol responsible for removing harmful cholesterol from the bloodstream and reducing the risk of heart disease.

数据还表明，睡眠不足与高密度脂蛋白水平低下有关，这种“有益的”胆固醇负责清除血液中有害的胆固醇并降低患心脏病的风险。

Overall it's more evidence for the positive benefits of banking⁵ seven, eight, or nine hours sleep instead of six a night – the researchers suggest the perfect amount is somewhere inside that range, depending on the person.

总的来说，每晚睡7，8或9个小时要比睡6个小时有益。研究人员建议，根据每个人的情况，每晚睡7～9个小时最合适。

The researchers also say their findings could provide new insight into the relationship between sleep and metabolic diseases like diabetes⁶, which now affects more than 422 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation⁷.

研究人员还表示，他们的发现使人们对睡眠与糖尿病等新陈代谢类疾病之间的关系有了新的见解。据世界卫生组织报道，如今逾4.22亿人正受到糖尿病的困扰。

The hope is if we understand more about the causes of obesity – such as reduced amounts of sleep– then we're better able to tackle it and the related health issues.

如果我们更了解肥胖的起因，例如睡眠不足，我们就有望更好地解决肥胖和相关的健康问题。

"Understanding why people gain weight has crucial implications for public health," the researcher said.

“明白人们为什么会长胖对改善公众健康有重要作用。”研究人员说道。