Acute impairments in glucose tolerance following one night of partial sleep restriction are not rescued by moderate-intensity walking in young men.

Plain-language summary

This study set out to see if moderate-intensity walking could improve glucose tolerance after a night of partial sleep restriction, as high-intensity exercise has been shown to do. Eleven healthy, active young men underwent three trials: a normal night of sleep, a night of restricted sleep, and a night of restricted sleep followed by 30 minutes of brisk walking. After each trial, they took a glucose tolerance test to measure how well their bodies handled sugar. The study found that sleep restriction worsened glucose tolerance, and brisk walking did not improve it.

Key findings

• A single night of partial sleep restriction worsened glucose tolerance in healthy young men.
• 30 minutes of brisk walking after sleep restriction did not improve glucose tolerance.
• Insulin response and other metabolic markers did not differ between the trials.