Sleep extension and metabolic health in male overweight/obese short sleepers: A randomised controlled trial

While limited evidence suggests that longer sleep durations can improve metabolic health in habitual short sleepers, there is no consensus on how sustained sleep extension can be achieved. A total of 18 men (mean [SD] age 41 [9] years), who were overweight/obese (mean [SD] body mass index 30 [3] kg/m²) and short sleepers at increased risk of type 2 diabetes were randomised to a 6-week sleep-extension programme based on cognitive behavioural principles (n = 10) or a control (n = 8) group. The primary outcome was 6-week change in actigraphic total sleep time (TST). Fasting plasma insulin, insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance [HOMA-IR]), blood pressure, appetite-related hormones from a mixed-meal tolerance test, and continuous glucose levels were also measured. Baseline to 6-week change in TST was greater in the sleep-extension group, at 79 (95% confidence interval [CI] 68.90, 88.05) versus 6 (95% CI −4.43, 16.99) min. Change in the sleep-extension and control groups respectively also showed: lower fasting insulin (−11.03 [95% CI −22.70, 0.65] versus 7.07 [95% CI −4.60, 18.74] pmol/L); lower systolic (−11.09 [95% CI −17.49, −4.69] versus 0.76 [95% CI −5.64, 7.15] mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (−12.16 [95% CI −17.74, −6.59] versus 1.38 [95% CI −4.19, 6.96] mmHg); lower mean amplitude of glucose excursions (0.34 [95% CI −0.57, −0.12] versus 0.05 [95% CI −0.20, 0.30] mmol/L); lower fasting peptide YY levels (−18.25 [95%CI −41.90, 5.41] versus 21.88 [95% CI −1.78, 45.53] pg/ml), and improved HOMA-IR (−0.51 [95% CI −0.98, −0.03] versus 0.28 [95% CI −0.20, 0.76]). Our protocol increased TST and improved markers of metabolic health in male overweight/obese short sleepers.