High-Intensity Interval Training Attenuates Insulin Resistance Induced by Sleep Deprivation in Healthy Males.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Within-subject experimental crossover study; randomization of condition order is not specified in the abstract.
PubMed 29270126 · doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00992
What was done
Eleven healthy male volunteers aged 18–35 reporting habitual sleep of 7–8 hours per night completed four experimental conditions: a single night of regular sleep (RS), 24 hours of total sleep deprivation (SD), HIIT followed by regular sleep (HIIT+RS), and HIIT followed by 24 hours of total sleep deprivation (HIIT+SD). The HIIT protocol comprised six sessions over 2 weeks, each consisting of 8–12 intervals of 60 seconds at 100% peak power output. Glucose, insulin, cortisol, free fatty acids, basal metabolism, and insulin sensitivity via oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were measured in each condition.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, confidence intervals, or exact p-values. Total sleep deprivation increased glycaemia, insulin levels, area under the curve, free fatty acid concentrations, and basal metabolism, with no differences observed in cortisol concentrations. HIIT performed prior to sleep deprivation attenuated the increases in glucose, insulin, and free fatty acids.
Why it matters
This study suggests that short-term high-intensity interval training may partially counteract the acute metabolic and insulin-sensitizing impairments caused by total sleep loss.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 11) and restricted entirely to healthy young men. The abstract does not report whether the four conditions were randomized or counterbalanced, nor does it provide numerical data or effect sizes. Acute 24-hour total sleep deprivation does not necessarily represent chronic partial sleep restriction.
Cited by
- partial A single night of poor sleep puts a person in a functional state of metabolic syndrome the following day, impairing blood sugar control and spiking insulin.