The effects of sleep extension on cardiometabolic risk factors: A systematic review

Abstract

Summary Studies have shown bidirectional relationships between short‐ or long‐sleep duration and risk for obesity, non‐communicable diseases, all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality. Increasing sleep duration may be an appropriate strategy to reduce cardiometabolic risk in short‐sleeping individuals. The aim is to review the effects of sleep extension interventions on cardiometabolic risk in adults. The PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for relevant, English, peer‐reviewed scientific publications (until August 2018). Seven studies that aimed to increase sleep duration in adults by any sleep extension intervention and described at least one cardiometabolic risk factor were included. These studies had a combined sample size of 138 participants who were either healthy (n = 14), healthy short‐sleeping (n = 92), overweight short‐sleeping (n = 10), or pre‐ or hypertensive short‐sleeping (n = 22) individuals. The durations of the sleep extension interventions ranged from 3 days to 6 weeks, and all successfully increased total sleep time by between 21 and 177 min. Sleep extension was associated with improved direct and indirect measures of insulin sensitivity, decreased leptin and peptide tyrosine‐tyrosine, and reductions in overall appetite, desire for sweet and salty foods, intake of daily free sugar, and percentage of daily caloric intake from protein. This review provides preliminary evidence for a role for sleep extension to improve cardiometabolic outcomes and directive towards future studies in the field of cardiometabolic health and sleep.

Caloric and Macronutrient Intake and Meal Timing Responses to Repeated Sleep Restriction Exposures Separated by Varying Intervening Recovery Nights in Healthy Adults

“…Although previous studies have shown that recent sleep history (e.g., banking sleep, sleep extension) affects subsequent neurobehavioral responses to sleep restriction [50][51][52], we did not observe differences in caloric and macronutrient intake responses between participants randomized to receive one, three, or five nights of recovery sleep between exposures. In a previous study [21], we noted that intake responses to sleep restriction were linked to hours of additional wakefulness rather than recent sleep history.…”

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approach to Sleep Disorders, High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Consensus Document by the Italian Society of Hypertension (SIIA)

“…With regard to non-respiratory sleep disorders, a systematic review of the effects of prolonged sleep time on cardiometabolic risk factors [74] included only three small-scale studies in which BP was evaluated. None of these reported a significant positive effect.…”

Cardiometabolic Benefits of a Weight-Loss Mediterranean Diet/Lifestyle Intervention in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The “MIMOSA” Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Interestingly, the superiority of the Mediterranean lifestyle intervention in increasing HDLC and reducing the risk of MS was evident regardless of percent weight change, suggesting that regular physical activity and optimal sleep habits can have additional benefits for the cardiometabolic health of OSA patients, on top of weight loss achieved through a healthy dietary pattern, and should therefore be part of lifestyle interventions for the management of OSA. A reasonable explanation is the well-established beneficial effect of physical activity on body composition, HDLC levels and insulin sensitivity [42], as well as the beneficial effect of an adequate sleep duration and good quality sleep on glucose metabolism [43].…”