Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Visceral Obesity

[Eddy Edson]

Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, and Visceral Obesity

Although the consequences of sleep deficiency for obesity risk are increasingly apparent, experimental evidence is limited and there are no studies on…

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Another result indicating that sleep restriction causes over-eating not balanced by extra energy expenditure, but also indicating that the associated fat increase is mainly abdominal, so risky.


Background
Although the consequences of sleep deficiency for obesity risk are increasingly apparent, experimental evidence is limited and there are no studies on body fat distribution.

Objectives
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of experimentally-induced sleep curtailment in the setting of free access to food on energy intake, energy expenditure, and regional body composition.

Methods
Twelve healthy, nonobese individuals (9 males, age range 19 to 39 years) completed a randomized, controlled, crossover, 21-day inpatient study comprising 4 days of acclimation, 14 days of experimental sleep restriction (4 hour sleep opportunity) or control sleep (9 hour sleep opportunity), and a 3-day recovery segment. Repeated measures of energy intake, energy expenditure, body weight, body composition, fat distribution and circulating biomarkers were acquired.

Results
With sleep restriction vs control, participants consumed more calories (P = 0.015), increasing protein (P = 0.050) and fat intake (P = 0.046). Energy expenditure was unchanged (all P > 0.16). Participants gained significantly more weight when exposed to experimental sleep restriction than during control sleep (P = 0.008). While changes in total body fat did not differ between conditions (P = 0.710), total abdominal fat increased only during sleep restriction (P = 0.011), with significant increases evident in both subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat depots (P = 0.047 and P = 0.042, respectively).

Conclusions
Sleep restriction combined with ad libitum food promotes excess energy intake without varying energy expenditure. Weight gain and particularly central accumulation of fat indicate that sleep loss predisposes to abdominal visceral obesity.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I had a life of weird sleep patterns.
It didn't end well!

 

[Gwynn]

Interesting. I have always slept well, but always woken very early every day.

Sleep wasn't my problem, but the real problem for me was way too many sweets, drinks, cakes, chips, etc etc and zero exercise. Now just a part of my history.

 

[nonethewiser]

All cover in book recently read called Why we Sleep, recommended on here by Northerner.

Never had issues sleeping, wife says out in 5 mins tops, when kids were little issue was lack of sleep trying to work, wife working whilst looking after them.

 

[harbottle]

Until the last few months I was a terrible sleeper, and struggled to get sleep. Now I trot off to bed at 10, fall asleep right away, and wake up at 6 - this is something I've never done, I used to have to put some music on to help me get to sleep, and for around 5 months in 2020 I hardly slept at all (Just before diagnosis).

I used to be up until the early hours then had to get up for work and would always be tired. Now I'm not tired at all during the day, but at 10 it just hits me all of a sudden and I'm out like a light.

Last year I stopped dreaming. Now I'm having some of the most incredible, vivid dreams (Although last night I dreamed about my late parents [Dad died at 60 almost 20 years ago, Mum at 72 a few years ago.] which was a bit traumatic. For some reason my Dad was eating Lobster in Spain!)