Impaired Insulin Profiles Following a Single Night of Sleep Restriction: The Impact of Acute Sprint Interval Exercise.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized crossover trial
PubMed 31816598 · doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2019-0235
What was done
Nineteen healthy males completed a randomized crossover trial evaluating four conditions separated by a 1-week entrainment period: control sleep (8 hr in bed, 23:00–07:00), sleep restriction (SR; 4 hr in bed, 03:00–07:00), control sleep plus exercise, and SR plus exercise. Participants slept at home with compliance assessed via wrist actigraphy. The following morning, participants performed sprint interval exercise or rested for an equivalent duration, followed by an oral glucose tolerance test with blood sampling for glucose and insulin.
What was found
Insulin concentrations were significantly higher in SR compared to control (p = .022). Late-phase insulin area under the curve (AUC) was significantly lower in SR plus exercise compared to SR alone (862 ± 589 vs. 1,267 ± 558; p = .004). Glucose AUC did not differ significantly between conditions (p = .207).
Why it matters
A single morning bout of sprint interval exercise counteracts postprandial hyperinsulinemia following a single night of acute sleep loss. This indicates high-intensity exercise is an effective acute metabolic countermeasure against sleep restriction.
Limits
The study had a small sample size (n = 19) and was conducted exclusively in healthy males. Sleep took place at home and was monitored with wrist actigraphy rather than in-lab polysomnography, and only a single night of sleep restriction was tested rather than chronic sleep debt.
Cited by
- supports High-intensity interval training or exercise can acutely offset the insulin resistance and inflammation caused by poor sleep.