Slept one night less? Biorhythm, metabolism and insulin resistance react

In co-operation with the University of Uppsala, Sweden, Jonathan Cedernaes – a Swedish sleep scientist – conducted different researches on effects of one night with partly resp. totally sleep deprivation. The studies were performed with 15 resp. 16 young, healthy men. The basic conditions of both studies regarding nutrition, light and physical activity were the same, only the sleep duration changed.

Just one night with fewer resp. no sleep caused following changes:

• The expression of the genetic information of the genes controlling our inner clock changed. After waking up, samples of blood and of tissue were taken. Here, it became apparent that the genes controlling the biorhythm changed their activity and structure. A possible explanation why people with an alternating sleep rhythm, like for example shift workers, suffer under metabolic disorders.
• The reduction of the sleep duration by four hours on an average (= half of the night) changed the share of the single sleeping phases. Proportionally, the young men whose nights were shorter had fewer phases of deep- and REM-sleep but more phases of light sleep, compared to nights with normal sleep duration. This reveals that the already shortened sleep also directly negatively influences the physical and mental relaxation.
• After one night with fewer sleep, the insulin concentration was elevated, the fasting-insulin-sensitivity on the other hand was reduced by 16 %. (The lower the insulin sensitivity the more insulin is needed for a reaction. The other way round: the higher the insulin sensitivity the fewer insulin is needed. People suffering under diabetes mellitus show a low insulin sensitivity.)

The scientists were surprised that already after one night of fewer resp. no sleep showed such serious changes. If and how long these changes lasts, whether a couple of nights with restful sleep reverse these changes, how the effects on other groups are (women, overweight-people, older people, for example) – these questions have to be dealt with in further investigations.

But, these researches clearly underline the importance of sufficient and healthy sleep. With bioenergetic sleep^® you will create the ideal foundation for your health and your well-being.

Studies: Acute Sleep Loss Induces Tissue-Specific Epigenetic and Transcriptional Alterations to Circadian Clock Genes in Men

A single night of partial sleep loss impairs fasting insulin sensitivity but does not affect cephalic phase insulin release in young men

This post is also available in / Diesen Beitrag gibt es auch in: German