Associations of short sleep duration with appetite-regulating hormones and adipokines: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental and observational studies
PubMed 32537891 · doi:10.1111/obr.13051
What was done
Systematic review and meta-analysis of database records evaluating associations between short sleep duration or sleep deprivation and appetite-regulating hormones and adipokines (leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, resistin, and orexin). Qualitative and quantitative syntheses were conducted on 21 included studies comprising 2,250 participants. Meta-analyses were performed for leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin, including experimental and cross-sectional subgroup comparisons.
What was found
Ghrelin levels were significantly higher in the short sleep group compared to recommended sleep (standard mean difference [SMD] = 0.14, 95% CI [0.03, 0.25], p = 0.01). Subgroup analyses showed higher leptin levels in experimental studies (SMD = 0.19, 95% CI [0.03, 0.35], p = 0.02) and higher ghrelin levels in cross-sectional studies (SMD = 0.14, 95% CI [0.02, 0.27], p = 0.03). Sleep deprivation was associated with increases in both leptin (SMD = 0.24, 95% CI [0.10, 0.39], p = 0.001) and ghrelin (SMD = 0.18, 95% CI [0.04, 0.33], p = 0.01). The abstract reported no numerical estimates for adiponectin, resistin, or orexin.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis provides pooled evidence that short sleep duration and acute sleep deprivation are associated with small increases in circulating ghrelin and leptin levels. It supports a biological mechanism connecting sleep restriction to altered appetite regulation.
Limits
The reported effect sizes are small (all SMDs under 0.25). The total sample is modest (2,250 participants across 21 studies) and pools heterogeneous study designs, combining acute experimental sleep deprivation with cross-sectional observational cohorts. Numerical results for adiponectin, resistin, and orexin are not provided in the abstract, and downstream caloric intake or clinical weight outcomes were not measured.
Cited by
- supports Sleep deprivation impairs leptin levels, reducing satiety signals, while increasing ghrelin levels, which stimulates hunger.