Sleep loss impairs glucose regulation (but exercise helps)
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When most people think about certain lifestyle factors that affect insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels, they think about macronutrient composition, or calories, or fasting, or exercise (and lack of), but they don’t often think about sleep. However, several studies have established causation showing that sleep duration is a major determinant of insulin sensitivity. For example, studies that have shown that reductions in sleep duration over multiple nights result in impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in healthy individuals. Another study showed that sleep restriction to only four hours of sleep during two or more nights reduced glucose tolerance by 40% and reduced the acute insulin response to in healthy subjects by 30%. Even a single night of sleep restricting healthy individuals to four-hours of sleep led to acute insulin resistance. This really highlights the important role sleep duration plays in insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation.
Mechanisms impairing glucose regulation
There have been several mechanisms that have been shown to cause glucose dysregulation, including:
- Changes in muscle and liver glucose absorption
- Changes in beta cell sensitivity to glucose (glucose intolerance) which consequently affects how much insulin produced
In a FoundMyFitness episode with Dr. Matthew Walker, he discussed some of these mechanisms including how sleep restriction causes the beta cells in your pancreas to stop being sensitive to the signal of high glucose. Watch the relevant six-minute episode highlight now.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) ameliorates some of these effects caused by poor sleep
High-intensity interval training has been shown to ameliorate some of the acute insulin resistance caused by poor sleep, which is a good thing! In people that have been deprived of sleep, there is some evidence that exercise can ameliorate some of the increases in blood glucose that sleep deprivation induces.
Related Episode
Important for the endocrine enhancing properties of exercise. Exerkines are exercise-induced hormonal-like factors which mediate the systemic benefits of exercise through autocrine, paracrine, and/or endocrine properties.[1]
- ^ Helge, Jørn Wulff; Moritz, Thomas; Morville, Thomas; Clemmensen, Christoffer; Dela, Flemming (2020). Plasma Metabolome Profiling Of Resistance Exercise And Endurance Exercise In Humans Cell Reports 33, 13.
A peptide hormone secreted by the beta cells of the pancreatic islets cells. Insulin maintains normal blood glucose levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells; regulating carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism; and promoting cell division and growth. Insulin resistance, a characteristic of type 2 diabetes, is a condition in which normal insulin levels do not produce a biological response, which can lead to high blood glucose levels.
A physiological condition in which cells fail to respond to the normal functions of the hormone insulin. During insulin resistance, the pancreas produces insulin, but the cells in the body become resistant to its actions and are unable to use it as effectively, leading to high blood sugar. Beta cells in the pancreas subsequently increase their production of insulin, further contributing to a high blood insulin level.
A test in which a person's glucose and sometimes insulin is tested before and at multiple intervals after having consumed a measured dose of glucose. Depending on the protocol, blood may be drawn for up to 6 hours afterward.
A metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar and insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition and is typically associated with overweight and low physical activity. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, increased hunger, fatigue, and impaired healing. Long-term complications from poorly controlled type 2 diabetes include heart disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy (and subsequent blindness), kidney failure, and diminished peripheral blood flow which may lead to amputations.
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