Energy Expenditure and Sleep - Study

Wednesday 5th January 2011

A U.S study has looked into the metabolic cost of one night of sleep deprivation, which becomes the equivalent of walking slightly less than two miles. The study measured the energy expenditure during both wakefulness and sleep.

The study consisted of seven young adults who stayed in bed for three days. The content and times of their meals were exactly the same each day, so that energy intake was not unevenly affected to produce varying results. The first day participants were exposed to sixteen hours of wakefulness followed by eight hours of sleep. The second and third day participants experienced a total of forty hours of sleep deprivation followed by eight hours of recovery sleep.

The study showed that the energy expended increased by seven percent when participants experienced twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation, compared to a typical night of sleep. During the recovery episode, which included sixteen hours of wakefulness, following the sleep deprivation night, then eight hours of recovery sleep, energy expenditure was found to decrease by roughly five per cent. The study also suggested that the most energy was expended during natural arousals from sleep, which occurred less frequently during the eight hours of recovery sleep.

Associate Professor Kenneth Wright and leader of the study commented; "While the amount of energy savings for humans during sleep may seem relatively small, it actually was a little more than we expected."

Ultimately, the study confirms that a solid night of sleep can conserve precious energy, making sleep vital when maintaining the strength needed to secure good health and a sense of well-being.

The study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Physiology.

Tags: Sleep sleep deprivation energy

Category: Sleep Research

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