Selective slow wave sleep but not rapid eye movement sleep suppression impairs morning glucose tolerance in healthy men

Nina Herzog, Kamila Jauch-Chara*, Franziska Hyzy, Annekatrin Richter, Alexia Friedrich, Christian Benedict, Kerstin M. Oltmanns

*Corresponding author for this work
56 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Shortened nocturnal sleep impairs morning glucose tolerance. The underlying mechanism of this effect is supposed to involve a reduced fraction of slow wave sleep (SWS). However, it remains unanswered if impaired glucose tolerance occurs due to specific SWS reduction or a general disturbance of sleep. Sixteen healthy men participated in three experimental conditions in a crossover design: SWS suppression, rapid eye movement (REM)-sleep disturbance, and regular sleep. Selective sleep stage disturbance was performed by means of an acoustic tone (532. Hz) with gradually rising sound intensity. Blood concentrations of glucoregulatory parameters were measured upon an oral glucose tolerance test the next morning. Our data show that morning plasma glucose and serum insulin responses were significantly increased after selective SWS suppression. Moreover, SWS suppression reduced postprandial insulin sensitivity up to 20%, as determined by Matsuda Index. Contrastingly, disturbed REM-sleep did not affect glucose homeostasis. We conclude that specifically SWS reduction is critically involved in the impairment of glucose tolerance associated with disturbed sleep. Therefore, glucose metabolism in subjects predisposed to reduced SWS (e.g. depression, aging, obstructive sleep apnea, pharmacological treatment) should be thoroughly monitored.

Original languageEnglish
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume38
Issue number10
Pages (from-to)2075-2082
Number of pages8
ISSN0306-4530
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10.2013

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

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