In today's world, the stress and demands of work can cause chronic sleep deprivation. Chronic sleep deprivation is a major public health concern, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. People often catch up on their sleep during the weekends. It is widely accepted that this “weekend recovery sleep” can help to reverse all the negative effects of sleep deprivation during the work week.
But according to a study led by Christopher M. Depner and colleagues, published in Current Biology (2019), the impacts of sleep deprivation on metabolism, energy intake, and insulin sensitivity are investigated and the theory of “weekend recovery sleep” is challenged. Can this theory be a solution for chronic sleep loss?
What are the effects of short sleep duration on the body?
Short sleep duration has been known to cause metabolic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Insufficient sleep also alters many physiological processes, such as energy intake regulation and insulin sensitivity, leading to weight gain and increased risk of metabolic diseases.
The researchers conducted a 3 group, randomized, in-laboratory protocol involving healthy young adults. Participants were assigned to one of three groups.
Group 1 [The control group]: The participants were allowed to sleep for 9 hours each night during the study.
Group 2 [ Sleep Restriction Group]: The participants were allowed to sleep for 5 hours during the work week and no recovery sleep during weekends.
Group 3 [ Weekend Recovery Group]: The participants were allowed to sleep for 5 hours during the work week and that was followed by ad libitum weekend recovery sleep, they could sleep as much as they wanted and then returned to sleep restriction after the weekend.
The duration of the study spanned multiple weeks, which allowed the researchers to properly assess the metabolic effects on the bodies of the people from all three groups respectively. Sleep duration, energy intake, body weight, and insulin sensitivity were measured across the three groups to evaluate the effectiveness of weekend recovery sleep in preventing metabolic dysregulation.
What did the researchers find through this study?
1) Insufficient sleep impacted energy intake and caused weight gain. People in groups 2 and 3 exhibited a significant increase in after-dinner energy intake during sleep restriction, consuming approximately 480-507 more kilocalories per day than at baseline. This increased caloric intake contributed to weight gain, with both groups gaining around 1.4-1.3 kg throughout the study.
Although the weekend recovery sleep reduced the after-dinner energy intake compared to the sleep-restricted workweek, there still was an overall increase in energy intake and weight gain during recurrent insufficient sleep following the weekend. This suggests that weekend recovery sleep has limited efficacy in counteracting the metabolic effects of sleep restriction, particularly when sleep deprivation is recurrent.
2) Due to sleep restriction, insulin sensitivity, a key marker of metabolic health, was observed. According to the study, whole-body insulin sensitivity decreased by 13 percent in group 2 and 27 percent in group 3 during sleep restriction periods. Weekend recovery sleep was not able to prevent the insulin sensitivity reduction during sleep restriction with participants in group 3 who experienced diminished hepatic and muscle insulin sensitivity compared to baseline levels. Insulin sensitivity is concerning as it increases the chances of developing type 2 and other metabolic disorders.
3) Sleep restriction leads to a delayed circadian phase, as evidenced by the timing of melatonin onset. Both groups 2 and 3 displayed delayed melatonin onsets, which indicates a disruption in their circadian rhythms. This delay existed even after acquiring the weekend recovery sleep in group 3, further contributing to metabolic dysregulation.
4) The researchers observed a difference in the response to sleep restriction and recovery according to the participant's sex. Women in group 3 slept lesser during the weekend recovery period than men. Although the energy intake during the weekend returned to baseline levels in women, men's energy intake levels were still elevated even during recovery sleep.
What was the conclusion of this study?
Future studies should be conducted to examine the role of diet, physical activity, and circadian alignment in conjunction with sleep recovery. This could help to find new strategies for improving metabolic health in the context of sleep restriction.
Overcoming sleep deprivation varies from one person to another. It can range from a good overnight sleep to a few days or weeks of good sleep.
Shift workers often face ongoing sleep deprivation. Those who work night shifts generally get one to four hours less sleep each day compared to individuals who work during the day, which can raise their risk of premature death.
Medbound Times reached out to Dr. Arshad Bachh, a Pulmonology/Respiratory Medicine & Sleep Specialist to give his opinion on how weekend sleep recovery cycle can affect the health of an individual.
How can weekend sleep recovery cycle affect the health of an individual?
Disruption of the sleep cycle can lead to impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, weakened immune response, and increased risk of chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
It affects the body's ability to repair, maintain hormonal balance, and regulate stress, contributing to long-term physical and mental health problems.
Also altered sleep cycles in obese snorers can lead to medical conditions like obstructive sleep apneas which is one of major unrecognized and undertreated disorder with severe health consequences.
Spreading awareness about adequate and healthy sleep for a healthy body and mind is the necessity of our times given the easy distractions in the form extended screens times to which current generation is getting addicted to!
References:
Depner, Christopher M., Edward L. Melanson, Robert H. Eckel, Janet K. Snell-Bergeon, Leigh Perreault, Bryan C. Bergman, Janine A. Higgins et al. "Ad libitum weekend recovery sleep fails to prevent metabolic dysregulation during a repeating pattern of insufficient sleep and weekend recovery sleep." Current Biology 29, no. 6 (2019): 957-967.
Taylor, Adam. n.d. “No-sleep Challenge: The Dangers of Sleep Deprivation.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/no-sleep-challenge-the-dangers-of-sleep-deprivation-236608.
