HIIT Back on Sleep Loss Effects
High-intensity interval training may reduce health risks from lack of shut-eye.
In Philip’s 5th annual Global Sleep Survey, which included people from 13 countries, only half of adults said they were satisfied with their sleep, and most said they were not getting enough.
Long-term sleep deprivation is related to numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. Research has shown that sleep loss is a risk factor for developing low glucose tolerance.
Recently, in a study of 24 healthy young men, Australian and American researchers found that high-intensity interval training prevented impairments in glucose tolerance, among other negative effects, from a short period of sleep restriction.
Subjects were divided into three groups: normal sleep; 5 nights of sleep restriction; and sleep restriction plus three HIIT sessions. Those in the sleep restriction group experienced a decrease in glucose tolerance, along with other adverse effects, while those in the HIIT group did not. Study authors noted that future evidence-based health guidelines and recommendations for people who don’t get enough sleep could include interventions such as exercise.
The research is open-source and is available in Molecular Metabolism (2020; doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101110).
See also: Evening HIIT and Sleep
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
