Sleep Deprivation for Heart Function During Exercise

Overseen By Julian Bommarito, MSc

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Guelph

Must be taking: Oral contraceptives

Must not be taking: Chronic medications

Disqualifiers: Cardiovascular, Metabolic, Sleep disorders, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

30 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how partial sleep deprivation affects heart function and blood pressure during exercise. Researchers aim to determine if reduced sleep alters heart blood pumping during exercise and whether these effects vary between men and women. Participants will experience nights of normal sleep and nights of reduced sleep, followed by exercise tests. This study suits healthy individuals who can exercise, have no heart or sleep disorders, and do not smoke. As an unphased trial, it offers a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding the impact of sleep on heart health.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but it does exclude people who are on chronic medications other than oral contraceptives. This suggests that you might need to stop other chronic medications to participate.

Is there any evidence suggesting that partial sleep deprivation is safe for participants?

Research shows that losing some sleep affects the body in several ways. For example, studies have found that insufficient sleep can hinder performance in aerobic exercise. It can also impact how well the heart adjusts to changes, such as during exercise, because it might not regulate itself as effectively.

In the short term, losing sleep can also affect athletic performance. Coordination may worsen, and the risk of injury may increase. However, these effects are usually temporary and resolve once normal sleep is restored.

Overall, while losing some sleep can impact physical performance and heart function, these changes are generally not dangerous for healthy individuals. They mostly cause temporary dips in performance rather than long-term health issues. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores how partial sleep deprivation might affect heart function during exercise, which is a novel area of study. Unlike typical treatments that focus on medication or lifestyle changes to improve heart health, this trial examines the impact of sleep patterns. By investigating how reduced sleep affects cardiovascular responses, scientists hope to uncover new insights into optimizing exercise performance and heart health. This could lead to innovative approaches in managing heart function, especially in individuals who frequently experience sleep deprivation.

What evidence suggests that partial sleep deprivation affects heart function during exercise?

This trial will compare the effects of normal sleep with partial sleep deprivation on heart function during exercise. Research has shown that insufficient sleep can make exercising more difficult. Studies have found that partial sleep deprivation leads to increased fatigue during workouts and reduced heart efficiency. For instance, one study discovered that individuals who slept less felt more exhausted during aerobic exercise, and their heart function was lower. Lack of sleep also tends to raise heart rate and reduce the heart's ability to handle exercise. Overall, adequate sleep appears crucial for maintaining heart health and exercise performance. ^{1 2 3 5 6}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Philip Millar, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Guelph

Julian Bommarito, MSc

Principal Investigator

University of Guelph

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for young, healthy adults interested in how lack of sleep affects heart function during exercise. Participants will need to visit the lab after both a normal night's sleep and a night with less sleep, keep track of their sleep and eating habits, and do cycling exercises.

Inclusion Criteria

No history of smoking (within the past 3 months)

Able to engage in physical activity assessed through the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q+)

Able to abide by sleep protocols for all visits

Exclusion Criteria

Has a history of smoking (within the past 3 months)

Unable to abide by sleep protocols for any testing visit

Allergic to ultrasound gel

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Baseline Assessment

Participants undergo assessment of maximal oxygen uptake to determine aerobic fitness and metabolic exercise intensity zones

1 visit

1 visit (in-person)

Intervention

Participants visit the lab after a night of normal sleep and a night of partial sleep deprivation to perform cycling exercise and have hemodynamics and plasma volume measured

2 visits

2 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after the intervention

1-2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Partial Sleep Deprivation

Trial Overview The study aims to see if not getting enough sleep leads to lower blood pressure because of reduced heart output when exercising. It also looks at whether men and women react differently to this kind of stress.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Partial sleep deprivation Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

During this arm, participants will be asked to come to the lab for testing after a night of partial sleep deprivation. Participants will be asked to fall asleep at their habitual bedtime but wake up early (\~40% of normal sleep duration).

Group II: Normal sleep Active Control 1 Intervention

During this arm, participants will be asked to come to the lab for testing after a night of normal sleep. Normal sleep will be defined as participants habitual sleep-wake timing.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Guelph

Lead Sponsor

Trials

87

Recruited

15,100+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Sleep deprivation for 34 hours significantly increased parasympathetic regulation of the autonomic nervous system, as indicated by heart rate variability, particularly in the morning and afternoon following the deprivation.

Participants exhibited higher levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and lower heart rates during exercise after sleep deprivation, suggesting that sleep loss affects both hormonal responses and exercise tolerance throughout the day.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of sleep deprivation on autonomic and endocrine functions throughout the day and on exercise tolerance in the evening. Konishi, M., Takahashi, M., Endo, N., et al.[2013]

After a night of partial sleep deprivation, highly trained endurance athletes experienced increased heart rate and ventilation during exercise, indicating a negative impact on cardiovascular and respiratory responses.

Triazolam-induced sleep improved sleep quality by increasing stage 2 sleep and reducing wakefulness, but did not fully restore performance levels compared to baseline sleep, suggesting that sleep quality is crucial for optimal exercise performance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of sleep disturbances on subsequent physical performance. Mougin, F., Simon-Rigaud, ML., Davenne, D., et al.[2019]

Partial sleep deprivation at the end of the night (PSDEN) significantly increased levels of ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP) and myoglobin (MYO) in professional Taekwondo athletes, indicating potential muscle and cardiac stress.

Both types of partial sleep deprivation (beginning and end of the night) led to elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and MYO levels in response to exercise, but did not affect heart rate or oxygen saturation during the exercise, suggesting that while sleep deprivation impacts certain biomarkers, it does not alter immediate physiological responses.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

One night of partial sleep deprivation increased biomarkers of muscle and cardiac injuries during acute intermittent exercise. Mejri, MA., Yousfi, N., Hammouda, O., et al.[2022]

A study involving 11 young men showed that 64 hours of sleep deprivation led to a small but significant decrease in VO2max (a measure of aerobic power) by 3.8 ml min-1 kg-1, indicating that sleep loss can negatively impact cardiorespiratory function.

Despite the decrease in VO2max, physiological responses during sub-maximal exercise remained stable, suggesting that the effects of sleep deprivation do not significantly alter heart rate or oxygen consumption during moderate activity, although perceived exertion increased significantly.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep deprivation and cardiorespiratory function. Influence of intermittent submaximal exercise. Plyley, MJ., Shephard, RJ., Davis, GM., et al.[2019]

High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) can improve cardiovascular function, as measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), even after acute-partial sleep deprivation in healthy males, suggesting a protective effect against cardiovascular disease.

In a study with 15 participants, both HIIE after a good night's sleep and after sleep deprivation resulted in similar improvements in FMD, indicating that engaging in HIIE may help mitigate some negative cardiovascular effects of sleep loss.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Acute partial sleep deprivation and high-intensity interval exercise effects on postprandial endothelial function. Papadakis, Z., Forsse, JS., Peterson, MN.[2021]

In a study involving 15 healthy males, high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) led to a significant decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) one hour post-exercise, with recovery to baseline levels taking up to four hours.

Acute partial sleep deprivation did not alter the HRV responses typically seen after HIIE, suggesting that the effects of HIIE on autonomic regulation are consistent regardless of sleep deprivation status.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Exercise and Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation on Cardiac Autonomic Modulation. Papadakis, Z., Forsse, JS., Peterson, MN.[2021]

Partial sleep deprivation, whether from delayed bedtime or early awakening, led to minor hormonal changes during exercise, such as increased plasma prolactin and higher blood lactate levels during submaximal exercise.

Interestingly, the use of the hypnotic drug zolpidem did not significantly impact sleep stages or the hormonal and metabolic responses to exercise, suggesting that sleep quality may not be as critical for hormonal responses as previously thought.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hormonal responses to exercise after partial sleep deprivation and after a hypnotic drug-induced sleep. Mougin, F., Bourdin, H., Simon-Rigaud, ML., et al.[2018]

Sleep deprivation of 30 to 72 hours does not significantly impact cardiovascular, respiratory, or muscle performance during exercise, but it does reduce the time to exhaustion, indicating that while physical capabilities remain intact, endurance may suffer.

In sleep-deprived individuals, increased insulin resistance and decreased glucose tolerance may contribute to reduced endurance, suggesting that hormonal and metabolic changes play a crucial role in how sleep loss affects physical performance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sleep deprivation and the effect on exercise performance. VanHelder, T., Radomski, MW.[2018]

In a study involving 7 endurance athletes, partial sleep deprivation led to increased heart rate and ventilation during exercise, indicating a higher cardiovascular strain at both submaximal and maximal workloads.

The athletes experienced decreased oxygen consumption at maximal effort after a night of sleep deprivation, suggesting that lack of sleep can impair aerobic performance and endurance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Disturbance of sports performance after partial sleep deprivation]. Mougin, F., Davenne, D., Simon-Rigaud, ML., et al.[2006]

Acute sleep loss does not significantly affect physiological measures like oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, or heart rate during exercise, indicating that the body's physical performance remains stable despite lack of sleep.

However, sleep deprivation increases perceived exertion during moderate and heavy exercise, suggesting that while physical capabilities may not change, the psychological experience of effort does, which could impact exercise performance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Exercise after sleep deprivation. Martin, BJ., Gaddis, GM.[2019]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9584849/

Effects of Acute Sleep Loss on Physical Performance Exercise performance was negatively affected by sleep deprivation, sleep restriction and late restriction, but not early restriction.

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665944125000331

Effects of Short-Term Sleep Reduction and Aerobic ... One night of partial sleep deprivation in aerobically trained adults resulted in increased rating of perceive exertion and reduced ...

3. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8769

Effects of Acute-Partial Sleep Deprivation on High-Intensity ... Acute-partial sleep deprivation affected aerobic exercise performance the next morning and led to decreased cardiac vagus activity and cardiac autonomic ...

4. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33013-5

Effects of sleep fragmentation and partial sleep restriction ... We hypothesized: Sleep restriction has a greater effect on heart rate and its variability during the night than sleep fragmentation; and a night ...

5. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1544286/full

Effects of sleep deprivation on sports performance and ... Sleep deprivation leads to a decline in athletic performance, resulting in impaired neuromuscular coordination, increased injury risk, and delayed recovery in ...

6. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566070225000189

Review Article Exercise-mediated modulation of autonomic ... (2019) found that partial sleep deprivation (PSD, <5 h) for 2–3 days could decrease HF (−28 %) and LF (−53 %) but significantly increase LF/HF (24 %) in ...