1. Sleep deprivation leads to an increase in ghrelin, affecting
patterns in eating. During periods of sleep deprivation, intake
of carbohydrate-rich foods are increased to compensate for
decreased energy levels. Amount of kilocalories consumed
from snacking increased by 283 +/- 130 kcals in sleep
deprivation.2 This increased consumption of carbohydrates
leads to increased blood glucose. Glucose tolerance is
reduced at night by 23% and during sleep deprivation due to
decreased insulin sensitivity.6 The decrease in insulin
sensitivity allows blood glucose to remain at increased levels
in the blood while at the same time, a sleep deprived person
will be consuming more carbohydrate foods to increase
blood glucose levels further. This mechanism is one thought
as to how T2DM is affected by sleep deprivation.5
Andrea Keiser, Devon Connelly, Dorrian Casto
Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Sleep Deprivation and its Effects on Appetite Regulating Hormones
Abstract
The current obesity epidemic has lead research to find
that decreased sleep has effects on appetite regulating
hormones, leading to increased hunger. Studies have
examined whether reducing a normal sleep schedule,
around 7-9 hours, can affect energy intake and
expenditure in regards to endocrine regulation of ghrelin
and leptin.1 A decrease in sleep, 4-6 hours, leads to an
increase in ghrelin, which in turn increases hunger and
snacking. Current research also shows that leptin is
decreased by sleep deprivation, leading to increased
appetite.2
Objectives
• Explain the effects leptin and ghrelin have on the body
when sleep is restricted versus a normal sleep
schedule.
• Describe the physiology and mechanism by which
sleep affects ghrelin levels.
• Discuss the possible mechanism by which decreased
sleep leads to obesity and Type II diabetes (T2DM).
Introduction & Background
Physiology Related Nutrients & Nutrition
Conclusion
Overall, we found that chronic sleep deprivation can play a
role as a risk factor for several chronic diseases such as,
T2DM, heart disease and can also lead to obesity.
Hormones play a huge role in mechanism of the increased
risk of CVD and T2DM.7 Leptin, insulin and ghrelin are
unregulated by effects that sleep deprivation has on the
brain and our bodies and the autonomic nervous system. In
conclusion sleeping at least 7 hours a night can decrease
your time awake which means less availability to food and
decreased over-consumption of food, and the time in bed
allows your hormones to be properly regulated.8
Current trends in decreased sleep are correlated with
increased stress from work and personal life. Studies
have shown that getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night
can lead to weight gain primarily from an imbalance of
hormones leptin and ghrelin. Ghrelin is a hormone
secreted by specialized cells lining the stomach and
pancreas that stimulate hunger. Leptin counteracts the
effects of ghrelin by increasing satiety after meals. It is
produced by fat or adipose tissue in the body. Insufficient
sleep has been reported to increase over-eating due to
more time spent eating while awake, increase in
carbohydrate-rich foods, decreased dietary constraint,
altered glucose homeostasis, decreased leptin and
increased ghrelin.2,3
The Brain
Sympathetic
nervous system
Pro-inflammatory
cytokines
Food rewarding
system
·The changes that occur
with the autonomic
nervous system during
sleep deprivation is known
to be involved in the
simultaneous reduction of
leptin and increase in
ghrelin.5
·Sleep loss can be associated with increased levels of pro-
inflammatory cytokines and inflammation, which can
predispose a person to insulin and leptin resistance.
5
·Reduction in glucose utilization
·Increases regulation of orexin neurons (a neuropeptide that
regulates arousal, wakefulness and appetite) affecting leptin
and ghrelin secretions.
4,5
·Leptin and insulin tend to negatively modulate the food
rewarding system making ghrelin act in opposite in effects.
·The increase in sleep loss can also contribute to increase
dissatisfaction when eating, rather than homeostatic eating.
5
1. St-Onge M. The Role of Sleep Duration in the Regulation of Energy Balance: Effects on Energy Intakes and Expenditure. Journal of Clinical
Sleep Medicine. 2013. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319909
2.Broussard J, Kilkus J, Delebecque F et al. Elevated ghrelin predicts food intake during experimental sleep restriction. Obesity. 2015;
24(1):132-138. doi:10.1002/oby.21321
3. Chaput J. Sleep patterns, diet quality and energy balance. Physiology & Behavior. 2014; 134:86-91.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24051052
4. Ebrahim I, Howard R, Kopelman M, Sharief M, Williams A. The hypocretin/orexin system. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2002;
95(5): 227-230.
6. Tasali E, Leproult R, Ehrmann D, Van Cauter E. Slow-wave sleep and the risk of type 2 diabetes in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2008; 105(3): 1044-
1049. doi:10.1073/pnas.0706446105.
7. Cedernaes J, Schiöth H, Benedict C. Determinants of shortened, disrupted, and mistimed sleep and associated metabolic health consequences in healthy humans. 2015; 64(4):1073-
1080. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25805757
8. Schmid S, Hallschmid M, Jauch-Chara K, Born J, Schultz B. A single night of sleep deprivation increases ghrelin levels and feelings of hunger in normal-weight healthy men. Journal of
Sleep Research. 2008; 17(3): 331-334. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00662.x.
9. Designua. Control of Food Intake. Human Hormones. Leptin, Insulin and Ghrelin. Leptin and the Regulation of Energy Balance. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Image created by Andrea Keiser
Photo created by Designua
References:
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