Effects of sleep manipulation on markers of insulin sensitivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 35189549 · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101594
What was done
Systematic literature search across three databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of sleep manipulation—defined as reductions in sleep duration, sleep quality, and circadian misalignment—on markers of insulin sensitivity. The search identified 35 eligible articles: 26 on sleep restriction, 2 on slow wave sleep suppression and REM sleep disturbance, 2 on sleep fragmentation, and 5 on circadian misalignment. Twenty-one sleep restriction studies were included in the quantitative meta-analysis.
What was found
The abstract reports directional findings without numeric effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values. Sleep restriction reduced insulin sensitivity assessed by oral or intravenous glucose tolerance test and HOMA-IR. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was reduced after short sleep when measured by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, but peripheral insulin sensitivity was not affected. Circadian misalignment and slow wave sleep suppression negatively affected insulin sensitivity, whereas REM sleep disturbance and sleep fragmentation had no effect.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes experimental trial evidence confirming that sleep duration, architecture, and circadian timing directly influence human insulin sensitivity and metabolic risk.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical effect estimates, confidence intervals, or heterogeneity statistics. Total human participant sample size, baseline health status, and intervention durations are omitted from the abstract.
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