Metabolic consequences of sleep and sleep loss.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing laboratory and epidemiological literature without systematic search methodology.
PubMed 18929315 · doi:10.1016/S1389-9457(08)70013-3
What was done
This narrative review summarizes laboratory and epidemiological evidence examining the physiological role of sleep, specifically slow-wave sleep, and the metabolic and endocrine consequences of sleep loss.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values or effect sizes. It describes that slow-wave sleep involves decreased heart rate, blood pressure, sympathetic nervous activity, and cerebral glucose utilization, along with growth hormone release and cortisol inhibition. Sleep restriction is reported to decrease leptin, increase ghrelin, and increase subjective hunger, linking sleep loss to obesity and type 2 diabetes risk.
Why it matters
It highlights habitual sleep curtailment as a prevalent, modifiable risk factor contributing to the modern rise in metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and obesity.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, effect sizes, or study counts. Because this is a narrative review, it lacks systematic search criteria, quality appraisal, and meta-analytic pooling.
Cited by
- supports Growth hormone release occurs at the beginning of the night during slow-wave and deep sleep, when metabolic need is reduced.