2026/01/21 by Joseph W. Beals, Gordon I. Smith, Sarah S. Farabi +5 · 1 voice
Psychology · Neuroscience · #Sleep and related disorders #Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue #Sleep and Wakefulness Research
paper · doi:10.2337/dc25-2083
openalex publication_date 2026/01/21 · openalex created_date 2026/01/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether extending sleep improves insulin sensitivity in people with overweight or obesity, insulin resistance, and habitual short sleep schedules (<7 h/night). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were randomized to habitual sleep (HS) (n = 15) or extended sleep (ES) (n = 14) for ∼6 weeks. Multiorgan (whole-body [primarily muscle], hepatic, and adipose tissue) insulin sensitivity (assessed by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure with tracer infusions) and glycemic control (assessed by 24-h serial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations during wakefulness) were determined. RESULTS: Time in bed and sleep duration increased more in the ES group (1.3 ± 0.6 and 1.1 ± 0.5 h/night) than in the HS group (0.3 ± 0.8 and 0.0 ± 0.4 h/night). Day-to-day variability in sleep and subjective measures of sleep health improved more in the ES than HS group, without differences in multiorgan insulin sensitivity or glycemic control between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Extending sleep by ∼1 h/night for ∼6 weeks in people with overweight or obesity and short sleep schedules improves sleep health but not insulin sensitivity or glycemic control.