One Night of Poor Sleep May Lead To Weight Gain And Muscle Loss

​Kathleen Lynch, BS

​A poor night of sleep can leave most of us feeling groggy, moody, or fatigued. Aside from these obvious symptoms, other negative health effects also occur in the body. New research from Sweden finds that even one sleepless night may be enough to trigger the body to store extra fat and break down muscle. Researchers at Uppsala University demonstrated that one night of sleep loss impacts regulation of gene expression and metabolism. If one night can have measurable effects, chronic sleep loss could profoundly impair our metabolism and adversely affect body composition. 

This small observational study, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, looked at 15 healthy adult men during two lab sessions. In one, they slept for eight hours and in the other, they were kept awake the entire night. After each session, researchers compared their blood, fat and muscle samples. When people stayed awake all night, they had tissue-specific shifts in DNA methylation, a phenomenon that did not occur after normal sleep.
 
After a single night of not sleeping, fat and muscle responded in opposite ways. The body increased its capacity for fat storage, while skeletal muscle tissue showed signs of muscle breakdown. More specifically, sleeplessness was associated with elevated levels of both metabolites and proteins involved in storing fat and a breakdown of proteins that build and repair muscle. Furthermore, staying awake all night appeared to change the expression of several genes in fat tissue that are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. These findings concur with previous research showing that sleeping for just four hours per night for five consecutive nights can trigger weight gain.

This research could not determine how long the metabolic changes lasted after the volunteers returned to normal sleep patterns. But, their study shows that sleep does more than rejuvenate the brain or conserve energy; it also plays a role in overall metabolism, even over the short term.
 
Keep this research in mind the next time you stay up past your bedtime. While everyone has different sleep needs, most people should aim for between seven and nine hours a night. A good, restful, full night of sleep is very important to balanced health. It keeps your immune system strong, recharges your brain, supports hormonal balance, and even helps you store memories.