Study: Sleep restriction reduces insulin sensitivity in boys

A study shows that short periods of sleep restriction in boys leads to reduced insulin sensitivity which can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, obesity, and other health issues.

Background:

Short sleep duration has been linked to impaired glucose metabolism in many experimental studies. Moreover, studies have reported indications of an increased metabolic stress following sleep restriction.

Objective:

We aimed to investigate the effects of partial sleep deprivation on markers of glucose metabolism. Additionally, we aimed to investigate if short sleep duration induces a state of endocrine stress.

Design:

A randomized crossover design, with 2 experimental conditions: 3 consecutive nights of short sleep (SS, 4 h/night) and long sleep (LS, 9 h/night) duration.

Subjects and Measurements:

In 21 healthy, normal-weight male adolescents (mean ± SD age: 16.8 ± 1.3 y) we measured pre- and post-prandial glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon concentrations. Furthermore, we measured fasting cortisol, 24-h catecholamines, and sympathovagal balance.

Results:

Fasting insulin was 59% higher (P = 0.001) in the SS than the LS condition as was both fasting (24%, P < 0.001) and post-prandial (11%, P = 0.018) C-peptide. Pre- and post-prandial glucose and glucagon were unchanged between conditions. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was 65% higher (P = 0.002) and the Matsuda index was 28% lower (P = 0.007) in the SS condition compared to the LS condition. The awakening cortisol response and 24-h norepinephrine were not affected by sleep duration, whereas 24-h epinephrine was 24% lower (P = 0.013) in the SS condition. Neither daytime nor 24-h sympathovagal balance differed between sleep conditions. Short wave sleep was preserved in the SS condition.

Conclusion:

Short-term sleep restriction is associated with decreased insulin sensitivity in healthy normal-weight adolescent boys. There were no indications of endocrine stress beyond this.

Citation:

Klingenberg L; Chaput JP; Holmbäck U; Visby T; Jennum P; Nikolic M; Astrup A; Sjödin A. Acute Sleep Restriction Reduces Insulin Sensitivity in Adolescent Boys. SLEEP 2013;36(7):1085-1090.

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Lack of Sleep in Teenagers May Lead to Diabetes

Researchers have indicated that lack of sleep in teenagers may lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Getting more sleep may help reduce teens' future risk of developing diabetes, according to a new study.

For one week, researchers tracked the amount of sleep and insulin resistance levels in 245 healthy high schools students. Overall, the students averaged 6.4 hours of sleep a night, but got significantly less sleep on school days than on the weekend.

Lower amounts of sleep were associated with higher insulin resistance -- determined by a blood test -- even when taking students' race, age, gender, waist size and body mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight) into account, according to the study published in a recent issue of the journal Sleep.

"High levels of insulin resistance can lead to the development of diabetes," lead author Karen Matthews, of the University of Pittsburgh's department of psychiatry, said in a journal news release. "We found that if teens that normally get six hours of sleep per night get one extra hour of sleep, they would improve insulin resistance by 9 percent."

The study is the first in healthy teens to show a link between lower amounts of sleep and insulin resistance that is independent of obesity, according to Matthews.

Programs to improve teens' health should include efforts to increase the amounts of sleep they get, the researchers concluded. Most teens need just over nine hours of sleep each night, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

While the study found an association between lower amounts of sleep and insulin resistance in teens, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

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Study: Lack of Sleep Leads to Insulin Resistance in Teens

A new study shows the relation of insulin resistance in teens and not getting enough sleep.

A new study suggests that increasing the amount of sleep that teenagers get could improve their insulin resistance and prevent the future onset of diabetes.

"High levels of insulin resistance can lead to the development of diabetes," said lead author Karen Matthews, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry. "We found that if teens that normally get six hours of sleep per night get one extra hour of sleep, they would improve insulin resistance by 9 percent."

The study, appearing in the October issue of the journal Sleep, tracked the sleep duration and insulin resistance levels of 245 healthy high school students. Participants provided a fasting blood draw, and they kept a sleep log and wore a wrist actigraph for one week during the school year. Sleep duration based on actigraphy averaged 6.4 hours over the week, with school days significantly lower than weekends.

Results show that higher insulin resistance is associated with shorter sleep duration independent of race, age, gender, waist circumference, and body mass index. According to Matthews, the study is the only one in healthy adolescents that shows a relationship between shorter sleep and insulin resistance that is independent of obesity.

The authors concluded that interventions to promote metabolic health in adolescence should include efforts to extend nightly sleep duration. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that most teens need a little more than nine hours of sleep each night.

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