Effects of ad libitum food intake, insufficient sleep and weekend recovery sleep on energy balance

Abstract

Study Objectives Insufficient sleep is believed to promote positive energy balance (EB) and weight-gain. Increasing weekend sleep duration to “recover” from weekday sleep loss is common, yet little is known regarding how weekend recovery sleep influences EB. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess how: 1) 2 days and 8 days of insufficient sleep and 2) ad libitum weekend recovery sleep impact EB (energy intake [EI] – energy expenditure [EE]). Methods Following ten baseline days with 9h per night sleep opportunities, participants completed one of three 10-day experimental protocols with ad libitum EI: control (9h sleep opportunities; n=8; 23±5y [mean±SD]); sleep restriction (SR; 5h sleep opportunities; n=14; 25±5y); sleep restriction with weekend recovery sleep (SR+WR; 5 days insufficient sleep, 2 days ad libitum weekend recovery sleep, 3 days recurrent insufficient sleep; n=14; 27±4y). Results 24h EB increased (P < 0.001; main effect) by an average of 797.7±96.7 (±SEM) kcal during the 10-day experimental protocol versus baseline with no significant differences between groups. Percent change from baseline in 24h-EE was higher (P < 0.05) on day 2 of insufficient sleep (SR and SR+WR groups; 10±1%) versus adequate sleep (control group; 4±3%). Conclusions In this between-group study, the effects of adequate sleep and insufficient sleep, with or without or weekend recovery sleep, on 24h-EB were similar. Examining EB and body weight changes using within-subject cross-over designs and “free-living” conditions outside the laboratory (e.g., sleep extension) are needed to advance our understanding of the links between insufficient sleep, weekend recovery sleep and weight-gain.

The role of insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment in obesity

“…Similar to total sleep deprivation, insufficient night-time sleep increases 24-h energy expenditure, in this case by 4–5% (~100 kcal per day) of total daily energy expenditure in healthy young populations 75 , 76 , 100 – 102 , when assessed using rigorous and sensitive whole-room calorimeter techniques. Such increases in 24-h energy expenditure occur regardless of whether energy intake is maintained at levels that are sufficient for energy balance during adequate sleep conditions or whether energy intake is permitted ad libitum.…”

“…Such increases in 24-h energy expenditure occur regardless of whether energy intake is maintained at levels that are sufficient for energy balance during adequate sleep conditions or whether energy intake is permitted ad libitum. Furthermore, increased energy expenditure during insufficient sleep occurs rapidly and is sustained across many days in both healthy young men and women 100 . In lean individuals, measuring energy expenditure using doubly labelled water (a less sensitive and more variable technique than whole-room calorimeter techniques) does not detect these small but physiologically meaningful changes in response to insufficient sleep 103 , 104 .…”

“…Furthermore, PYY has not been assessed under insufficient sleep with controlled energy intake conditions. Energy intake during adequate habitual sleep in healthy lean adults was isocaloric; thus, the 24-h pattern of leptin, ghrelin and PYY during adequate sleep was under assumed conditions of energy balance 76 , 100 . By contrast, during insufficient sleep in healthy lean adults, if energy intake is not increased to meet the increased energy expenditure during insufficient sleep, the 24-h pattern of these same appetite hormones can be assumed to reflect conditions of negative energy balance (Fig.…”

“…For example, in highly controlled crossover research designs, where each participant serves as their own control, robust and meaningful differences in energy intake and expenditure are seen between conditions of insufficient sleep and of adequate sleep 76 . However, inter-individual designs are limited by large variability between individuals 100 .…”

“…In adults with overweight, weight loss in response to caloric restriction under conditions of insufficient sleep leads to loss of muscle mass in lieu of adipose tissue mass compared with caloric restriction under conditions of adequate sleep 141 . Importantly, under experimental insufficient sleep conditions, switching to an adequate sleep schedule reduces food intake in lean adults 75 , 76 , 100 and leads to weight loss over time in adults with obesity 142 .…”