Gary Brecka breaks down a study where healthy young men slept just five hours a night for a week. Their insulin sensitivity dropped 20%, meaning their bodies couldn't clear glucose from the bloodstream as well. Free fatty acids also rose, making insulin resistance worse.
What happens to your body's ability to process sugar when you don't sleep 8 hours? They brought in healthy young men into a clinical research center, and these were guys with no health problems, normal weight, no history of diabetes in any of their families. The researchers restricted the participants' sleep to just 5 hours per night for 1 week. Just 7 nights of sleep deprivation for 5 hours. They controlled everything else— the same food, same activity levels, even the same environment. The only variable that changed was sleep. At the end of that week, they measured insulin sensitivity using 2 different tests. After just just one week of sleep restriction, insulin sensitivity dropped by 20%. Now remember, insulin sensitivity is a good thing that keeps the blood sugar levels stable. When insulin sensitivity drops, more glucose stays in the bloodstream, raising your blood sugar levels. They also measured free fatty acids in the blood. These are fats that circulate in your bloodstream and can directly cause insulin resistance.
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