Regularly trimming sleep may show up on the scale sooner than many adults expect, according to new research that links six weeks of reduced rest with modest weight gain.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that adults who slept about 90 minutes less each night for six weeks gained roughly one pound on average when compared with periods when they got enough rest.

The research was conducted by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. They studied 95 adults who were already at risk for heart or metabolic disease.

The study compared six weeks of adequate sleep with six weeks in which participants cut about 90 minutes from their sleep each night. By the end of the sleep restricted period, participants weighed about one pound more on average.

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The participants also had slightly larger waistlines after the period of reduced sleep. At the same time, researchers found that they spent more time sitting.

Their levels of moderate and vigorous exercise stayed about the same, according to the report. That finding left researchers with a more limited picture of what may have contributed to the change in weight.

Although participants gained weight, researchers did not detect significant changes in body fat or muscle mass. They also did not track how much participants ate.

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Because food intake was not tracked, the study did not determine what drove the increase. The findings therefore point to an association between reduced sleep and weight gain during the study period, while leaving some key questions unanswered.

Dr. Somi Javaid, a doctor based in Ohio and founder of HerMD, was not involved in the study. She told Fox News Digital that sleep has an important role in regulating the body's metabolism.

Javaid said chronic sleep deprivation can make it harder for the body to regulate weight. She also noted that women going through menopause may be especially vulnerable because sleep problems become more common during that stage of life.

"We are destroying women's sleep at the exact life stage when their metabolism is [the] least able to absorb the hit, then telling them to eat less and exercise more," Javaid said.

She added that the American Heart Association now recognizes sleep as one of its "Life's Essential 8" for heart health. The group recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

"Chronic short sleep is not a lifestyle quirk," Javaid said. "We need to treat sleep as a vital sign of health."

The findings suggest that regularly getting less sleep may contribute to weight gain. However, the researchers also noted several limitations that affect how the results should be understood.

One limitation was the length of the study. Researchers said six weeks may not have been long enough to detect meaningful changes in body fat, which can take longer to develop than changes in body weight.

The researchers also noted that the study's relatively small sample size limited their ability to compare results among different groups of participants. In addition, some hormone measurements were collected only in the morning.

Those morning measurements may not have reflected fluctuations that occur throughout the day. That means the study could not fully capture some changes that may vary by time of day.

During Fox & Friends Wellness Week, sleep expert Dr. Rebecca Robbins also discussed several popular sleep trends. She analyzed melatonin, mouth taping, cooling pillows and sleep trackers.

Robbins explained melatonin's role in circadian rhythm and discussed mouth taping benefits for nasal breathing. She also emphasized the importance of a 65 degree Fahrenheit sleep environment.

Robbins advised adults to aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night for optimal health and longevity. Her comments aligned with the broader message that sleep is closely tied to health, even as the new study left some questions unresolved.