Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Interventions and public health nutrition

The effects of partial sleep deprivation on energy balance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 71, pages 614–624 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

It is unknown whether short sleep duration causatively contributes to weight gain. Studies investigating effects of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) on energy balance components report conflicting findings. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of human intervention studies assessing the effects of PSD on energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE).

Subjects/Methods:

EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science and Scopus were searched. Differences in EI and total EE following PSD compared with a control condition were generated using the inverse variance method with random-effects models. Secondary outcomes included macronutrient distribution and resting metabolic rate. Heterogeneity was quantified with the I2-statistic.

Results:

Seventeen studies (n=496) were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review, and 11 studies (n=172) provided sufficient data to be included in meta-analyses. EI was significantly increased by 385 kcal (95% confidence interval: 252, 517; P<0.00001) following PSD compared with the control condition. We found no significant change in total EE or resting metabolic rate as a result of PSD. The observed increase in EI was accompanied by significantly higher fat and lower protein intakes, but no effect on carbohydrate intake.

Conclusions:

The pooled effects of the studies with extractable data indicated that PSD resulted in increased EI with no effect on EE, leading to a net positive energy balance, which in the long term may contribute to weight gain.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, Alessi C, Bruni O, DonCarlos L et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health 2015; 1: 40–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Matricciani L, Olds T, Petkov J . In search of lost sleep: Secular trends in the sleep time of school-aged children and adolescents. Sleep Med Rev 2012; 16: 203–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bin YS, Marshall NS, Glozier N . Secular trends in adult sleep duration: a systematic review. Sleep Med Rev 2012; 16: 223–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bin YS, Marshall NS, Glozier N . Sleeping at the limits: The changing prevalence of short and long sleep durations in 10 countries. Am J Epidemiol 2013; 177: 826–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Boivin DB, Boudreau P . Impacts of shift work on sleep and circadian rhythms. Pathol Biol 2014; 62: 292–301.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Krueger PM, Friedman EM . Sleep duration in the united states: a cross-sectional population-based study. Am J Epidemiol 2009; 169: 1052–1063.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Shochat T . Impact of lifestyle and technology developments on sleep. Nat Sci Sleep 2012; 4: 19–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ikehara S, Iso H, Date C, Kikuchi S, Watanabe Y, Wada Y et al. Association of sleep duration with mortality from cardiovascular disease and other causes for Japanese men and women: the JACC study. Sleep 2009; 32: 295–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Moreno CRC, Louzada FM, Teixeira LR, Borges F, Lorenzi-Filho G . Short sleep is associated with obesity among truck drivers. Chronobiol Int 2006; 23: 1295–1303.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cappuccio FP, Taggart FM, Kandala N-B, Currie A, Peile E, Stranges S et al. Meta-analysis of short sleep duration and obesity in children and adults. Sleep 2008; 31: 619–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Patel SR, Hu FB . Short sleep duration and weight gain: a systematic review. Obesity 2008; 16: 643–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cappuccio F, D’Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller M . Quantity and quality of sleep and incidence of type 2 diabetes a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Care 2010; 33: 414–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Cappuccio FP, Cooper D, Delia L, Strazzullo P, Miller M . Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur Heart J 2011; 32: 1484–1492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wang Q, Xi B, Liu M, Zhang Y, Fu M . Short sleep duration is associated with hypertension risk among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hypertens Res 2012; 35: 1012–1018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Magee L, Hale L . Longitudinal associations between sleep duration and subsequent weight gain: a systematic review. Sleep Med Rev 2012; 16: 231–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Marshall NS, Glozier N, Grunstein RR . Is sleep duration related to obesity? A critical review of the epidemiological evidence. Sleep Med Rev 2008; 12: 289–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Capers PL, Fobian AD, Kaiser K, Borah R, Allison DB . A systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the impact of sleep duration on adiposity and components of energy balance. Obes Rev 2015; 16: 771–782.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Higgins J, Green S . Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011, Available from http://handbook.cochrane.org/.

  19. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Ioannidis JP, Clarke M et al. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions. Ann Intern Med 2009; 15: W65–W94.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Higgins JPT, Altman DG SJ . Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration 2011, Available from http://handbook.cochrane.org/.

  21. Higgins J, Thompson S . Quantifying heterogeneity in a meta-analysis. Stat Med 2002; 21: 1539–1558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Egger M, Smith G, Schneider M, Minder C . Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. BMJ 1997; 315: 629–634.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Bosy-Westphal A, Hinrichs S, Jauch-Chara K, Hitze B, Later W, Wilms B et al. Influence of partial sleep deprivation on energy balance and insulin sensitivity in healthy women. Obes Facts 2008; 1: 266–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. St-Onge MP, Roberts AL, Chen J, Kelleman M, O’Keeffe M, RoyChoudhury A et al. Short sleep duration increases energy intakes but does not change energy expenditure in normal-weight individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 2011; 94: 410–416.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Brondel L, Romer M a, Nougues PM, Touyarou P, Davenne D . Acute partial sleep deprivation increases food intake in healthy men. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91: 1550–1559.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Calvin AD, Carter RE, Adachi T, MacEdo PG, Albuquerque FN, Van Der Walt C et al. Effects of experimental sleep restriction on caloric intake and activity energy expenditure. Chest 2013; 144: 79–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Hart CN, Carskadon MA, Demos KE, Van Reen E, Sharkey KM, Raynor HA et al. Acute changes in sleep duration on eating behaviors and appetite-regulating hormones in overweight/obese adults. Behav Sleep Med 2014; 13: 424–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Markwald RR, Melanson EL, Smith MR, Higgins J, Perreault L, Eckel RH et al. Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food intake, and weight gain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2013; 110: 5695–5700.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, Imperial J, Kasza K, Schoeller DA, Penev PD . Sleep curtailment is accompanied by increased intake of calories from snacks. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89: 126–133.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Schmid SM, Hallschmid M, Jauch-Chara K, Wilms B, Benedict C, Lehnert H et al. Short-term sleep loss decreases physical activity under free-living conditions but does not increase food intake under time-deprived laboratory conditions in healthy men. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 90: 1476–1482.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Shechter A, Rising R, Wolfe S, Albu JB, St-Onge MP . Postprandial thermogenesis and substrate oxidation are unaffected by sleep restriction. Int J Obes 2013; 38: 1153–1158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Shechter A, Rising R, Albu JB, St-Onge MP . Experimental sleep curtailment causes wake-dependent increases in 24-h energy expenditure as measured by whole-room indirect calorimetry. Am J Clin Nutr 2013; 98: 1433–1439.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Spaeth AM, Dinges DF, Goel N . Effects of experimental sleep restriction on weight gain, caloric intake, and meal timing in healthy adults. Sleep 2013; 36: 981–990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Spaeth AM, Dinges DF, Goel N . Sex and race differences in caloric intake during sleep restriction in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2014; 100: 559–566.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Brondel L, Romer MA, Nougues P, Touyarou P, Davenne D . Acute partial sleep deprivation increases food intake in healthy young men. Fund Clin Pharm 2011; 25: 26 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Calvin AD, Carter RE, Levine JA, Somers VK . Insufficient sleep increases caloric intake but not energy expenditure. Circulation 2012; 125: S1 (abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Markwald RR, Melanson EL, Smith MR, Perreault L, Eckel RH, Wright KP . Effect of sleep restriction on whole body energy expenditure in humans. Sleep 2011; 34: A41 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Roberts AL, Kelleman M, St-Onge M-P . Short sleep duration tends to lower resting metabolic rate and peak activity level relative to habitual sleep in normal weight subjects. Obesity 2010; 18: S83 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Shechter A, O’Keefe M, Roberts AL, Zammit G, RoyChoudhury A, St-Onge M-P . Altered nocturnal sleep architecture in response to partial sleep deprivation is associated with increased carbohydrate intake. Sleep 2012; 35: A104 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Spaeth AM, Dinges DF, Goel N . Sleep restriction associates with increased caloric intake and delayed meal timing in healthy adults. Sleep 2013; 36: A106 (abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Spaeth AM, Goel N, Dinges D . Baseline slow-wave sleep negatively relates to energy balance responses during leep restriction in healthy adults. Sleep 2014; 37: A50 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Spaeth AM, Goel N, Dinges DF . Sleep restriction associates with increased food intake, weight gain and changes in food cravings in healthy adults. Sleep 2012; 35: A105 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Spaeth AM, Goel N, Dinges DF . Effects of sleep restriction on body weight and food intake in healthy adults. Appetite 2012; 59: e51 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Spaeth AM, Goel N, Dinges DF . Effects of two five-day bouts of chronic sleep restriction on caloric intake in healthy adults. Sleep 2013; 36: A87 (abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Spaeth AM, Wohl R, Dinges DF, Goel N . Stability of energy balance responses to sleep restriction over long time intervals. Sleep 2014; 37: A47 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Demos KE, Carskadon MA, Sharkey KM, Hart CN, Cairns A, Lawton JM, Ogilvie R, Wing RR . Effects of acute changes in scheduled sleep duration on eating behavior. Obesity 2011; 19: S194 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Kubota C, Hibi M, Mizuno T, Mitsui Y, Uchida S . Effect of sleep restriction on physical functions—a respiratory chamber study. Sleep 2013; 36: A105 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  48. LeCheminant JD, Romney L, Clark T, Bailey BW, Larson M, Tucker LA . The relationship between sleep deprivation and the energy balance pathways of diet and physical activity. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2013; 45: 336 (abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Tasali E, Broussard J, Day A, Kilkus J, Van Cauter E . Sleep curtailement in healthy young adults is associated with increased ad lib food intake. Sleep 2009; 32: A131 (abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Taylor MK, Gibson CA, Unruh GK, Ptomey LT, Spaeth KR, Sullivan DK, Dietary intake of sleep-deprived, on-call anesthesiology residents. FASEB J 2013; 27: 1064–1 (abstract).

  51. Bromley LE, Booth JN, Kilkus JM, Imperial JG, Penev PD . Sleep restriction decreases the physical activity of adults at risk for type 2 diabetes. Sleep 2012; 35: 977–984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. St-Onge M-P . The role of sleep duration in the regulation of energy balance: effects on energy intakes and expenditure. J Clin Sleep Med 2013; 9: 73–80.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  53. Shepard JW, Buysse DJ, Chesson AL, Dement WC, Goldberg R, Guilleminault C et al. History of the development of sleep medicine in the United States. J Clin Sleep Med 2005; 1: 61–82.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  54. Spiegel K, Tasali E, Penev P, Van Cauter E . Article Brief Communication: sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Ann Intern Med 2004; 141: 846–851.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. St-Onge M-P, Mcreynolds A, Trivedi ZB, Roberts AL, Sy M, Hirsch J . Sleep restriction leads to increased activation of brain regions sensitive. Am J Clin Nutr 2012; 95: 818–824.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Davis C, Patte K, Levitan R, Reid C, Tweed S, Curtis C . From motivation to behaviour: a model of reward sensitivity, overeating, and food preferences in the risk profile for obesity. Appetite 2007; 48: 12–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Mozaffarian D, Micha R, Wallace S . Effects on coronary heart disease of increasing polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med 2010; 7: 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Jakobsen MU, O'Reilly EJ, Heitmann BL, Pereira M, Balter K, Fraser GE et al. Major types of dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89: 1425–1433.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Schwingshackl L, Strasser B, Hoffmann G . Effects of monounsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Nutr Metab 2011; 59: 176–186.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Klingenberg L, Chaput J, Holmback U, Jennum P, Astrup A, Sjodin A . Sleep restriction is not associated with a positive energy balance in adolescent boys. Am J Clin Nutr 2012; 96: 240–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Garby L, Kurzer M, Lammert O, Nielsen E . Energy expenditure durign sleep in men and women: evaporative and sensible heat losses. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr 1987; 41: 225–233.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Goldberg G, Prentice A, Davies HL, Murgatroyd P . Overnight and basal metabolic rates in men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr 1988; 42: 137–144.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Seale J, Conway J . Relationship between overnight energy expenditure and BMR measured in a room-sized calorimeter. Eur J Clin Nutr 1999; 53: 107–111.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Bonnet MH, Arand DL . 24-Hour metabolic rate in insomniacs and matched normal sleepers. Sleep. Sleep NY 1995; 18: 581–588.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  65. Shechter A, Varin F, Boivin DB . Circadian variation of sleep during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Sleep 2010; 33: 647–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Dalvit SP . The effect of the menstrual cycle on patterns of food intake. Am J Clin Nutr 1981; 34: 1811–1815.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Webb P . 24-Hour energy expenditure menstrual. Am J Clin Nutr 1986; 44: 614–619.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Bisdee JT, James WP, Shaw MA . Changes in energy expenditure during the menstrual cycle. Br J Nutr 1989; 61: 187–199.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  69. Piers LS, Diggavi SN, Rijskamp J, Van Raaij JM a, Shetty PS, Hautvast JG . Resting metabolic rate and thermic effect of a meal in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle in well-nourished Indian women. Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 61: 296–302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  70. Calvin AD, Carter RE, Levine JA, Somers VK . Insufficient sleep increases caloric intake but not energy expenditure. Circulation 2012; 1 (abstract).

  71. Shlisky JD, Hartman TJ, Kris-Etherton PM, Rogers CJ, Sharkey NA, Nickols-Richardson SM . Partial sleep deprivation and energy balance in adults: an emerging issue for consideration by dietetics practitioners. J Acad Nutr Diet 2012; 112: 1785–1797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors’ responsibilities were as follows: GP and JD designed the study, HA, SH, JD, and GP performed the literature search and the meta-analysis. GP and JD had primary responsibility for final content. All authors were substantially involved in the writing process. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Author notes

  1. J Darzi and G K Pot: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    H K Al Khatib, S V Harding, J Darzi & G K Pot

  2. VU University Amsterdam, Health and Life, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    G K Pot

Authors
  1. H K Al Khatib
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S V Harding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J Darzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G K Pot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G K Pot.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on European Journal of Clinical Nutrition website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Al Khatib, H., Harding, S., Darzi, J. et al. The effects of partial sleep deprivation on energy balance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 71, 614–624 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.201

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.201

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links