Partial sleep loss and health effects

September 24, 10:55 PMSeattle Natural Health ExaminerLilian Mavridara

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A new study by researchers at Northwestern University is the first to show that repeated partial sleep loss negatively affects an animal's ability to compensate for lost sleep.

The results, which shed light on a problem prevalent in industrialized nations with 24/7 societies such as the United States, where Americans get nearly an hour less sleep a night than they did 40 years ago, were published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 

“We now know that chronic lack of sleep has an effect on how an animal sleeps,” said Fred W. Turek, professor of neurobiology and physiology and director of Northwestern's Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology. “The animals are getting by on less sleep but they do not try and catch up. The ability to compensate for lost sleep is itself lost, which is damaging both physically and mentally.” 

The findings support what other scientists have discovered in recent experimental studies in humans. Chronic partial sleep loss of even two to three hours per night was found to have detrimental effects on the body, leading to impairments in cognitive performance, as well as cardiovascular, immune and endocrine functions. Sleep-restricted people also reported not feeling sleepy even though their performance on tasks declined.  

“Even though animals and humans may be able to adapt their sleep system to deal with repeated sleep restriction conditions, there could be negative consequences when this pattern is maintained over a long period of time,” said Turek. “This brings us back to the idea that repeated partial sleep restriction in humans has been linked to metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.”

 “As Americans have been getting less sleep per night, there has been a parallel trend for body mass index to significantly increase. We believe that when partial sleep loss occurs repeatedly over a long period of time, individuals are predisposed to alterations in the function of many physiological systems”, said Aaron D. Laposky, research assistant professor at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology.

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