Sleep restriction is associated with increased morning plasma leptin concentrations, especially in women.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the effects of sleep restriction on leptin levels in a large, diverse sample of healthy participants, while allowing free access to food.


METHODS
Prospective experimental design. After 2 nights of baseline sleep, 136 participants (49% women, 56% African Americans) received 5 consecutive nights of 4 hours time in bed (TIB). Additionally, one subset of participants received 2 additional nights of either further sleep restriction (n = 27) or increased sleep opportunity (n = 37). Control participants (n = 9) received 10 hr TIB on all study nights. Plasma leptin was measured between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon following baseline sleep, after the initial sleep-restriction period, and after 2 nights of further sleep restriction or recovery sleep.


RESULTS
Leptin levels increased significantly among sleep-restricted participants after 5 nights of 4 hr TIB (Z = -8.43, p < .001). Increases were significantly greater among women compared to men (Z = -4.77, p < .001) and among participants with higher body mass index (BMI) compared to those with lower (Z = -2.09, p = .036), though participants in all categories (sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, and age) demonstrated significant increases. There was also a significant effect of allowed TIB on leptin levels following the 2 additional nights of sleep restriction (p < .001). Participants in the control condition showed no significant changes in leptin levels.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that sleep restriction with ad libitum access to food significantly increases morning plasma leptin levels, particularly among women.
Simpson
Norah S
NS
Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. nssimpso@bidmc.harvard.edu
Banks
Siobhan
S
Dinges
David F
DF
D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000097:blood*
D020738:Leptin
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2006 May;97(2):151-7
16506059
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Sep 30;100(20):11696-701
12975524
J Sleep Res. 2008 Sep;17(3):331-4
18564298
Natl Health Stat Report. 2009 May 5;(13):1-7
19634296
PLoS Med. 2004 Dec;1(3):e62
15602591
Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Oct 1;170(7):805-13
19651664
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Sep;25(9):1365-71
11571601
Sleep. 2009 Jul;32(7):857-64
19639748
Neuroimmunomodulation. 2005;12(3):164-72
15905625
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):253-61
17228054
Hypertension. 2007 Oct;50(4):693-700
17785629
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2006 Jan;100(1):120-8
16141374
JAMA. 2002 Oct 9;288(14):1723-7
12365955
Physiol Behav. 2006 Apr 15;87(4):789-93
16519909
Nature. 1996 Apr 25;380(6576):677
8614460
Ann Intern Med. 2004 Dec 7;141(11):846-50
15583226
PLoS One. 2009;4(2):e4589
19240794
Sleep Med. 2003 May;4(3):177-84
14592319
Br Med J. 1968 May 4;2(5600):269-71
5646537
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;89(11):5762-71
15531540
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2006 Jun;31(5):642-52
16616815
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000 Aug;85(8):2685-91
10946866
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 May;90(5):2537-44
15687326
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jan;89(1):126-33
19056602
Circulation. 2009 Jan 27;119(3):480-6
19171871
Sleep. 2008 May;31(5):619-26
18517032
Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 May;32(5):801-9
18253159
Nature. 1994 Dec 1;372(6505):425-32
7984236
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2001;24:429-58
11283317
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Oct;34(10):1594-9
12370560
Cell Immunol. 2008 Mar-Apr;252(1-2):139-45
18289518
N Engl J Med. 1996 Feb 1;334(5):292-5
8532024
J Neuroendocrinol. 2003 Sep;15(9):851-4
12899679
Sleep. 2009 Mar;32(3):295-301
19294949
Neuron. 2002 Oct 10;36(2):199-211
12383777