Insufficient sleep is becoming a major health issue in modern society, partly a consequence of the increased stresses of modern living. The effects of insufficient sleep upon the human body include: decreased performance and alertness, stress, memory loss and risk of injury. Sleep deprivation can be either chronic or acute. Chronic sleep deprivation can further cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain.
A new study reveals shows that certain compounds involved in metabolism are measurably depleted in the blood of people and rats that are sleep deprived. Scientists working out of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine undertook laboratory work, starting with rats and then moving onto humans, where they detected changes with several metabolites. The changes were most apparent in both people and rats that had slept for only four hours a night, across five nights.
The two key metabolites analyzed were oxalic acid, which is a byproduct of normal metabolism; and diacylglycerol 36:3, which is required for energy storage. These two metabolites fell considerably in both rats and humans. Sleep deprivation is not fully understood, and the findings contribute to this area of medical science.
What are the implications of this research? Why not simply ask a person if they are getting sufficient sleep? According to the researchers, the laboratory tests could help to develop a blood test to detect severe sleep deprivation. This could be applied to various jobs where insufficient sleep could have implications for the safety and welfare of others. Such roles could include pilots, long-haul truckers, and medical staff.
Lead scientists behind the project, Amita Sehgal, has stated that the study will be followed up with further research. “We’re seeing these changes in the blood, but where are they coming from and how do they relate to what’s happening in the liver, the adipose [fatty] tissue, the muscle?” Dr. Sehgal told Science News.
The findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research paper is headed “Oxalic acid and diacylglycerol 36:3 are cross-species markers of sleep debt.”
