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. 2022 Apr:58:101445.
doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101445. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Effects of curtailed sleep on cardiac stress biomarkers following high-intensity exercise

Teemu Martikainen  1 , Fjola Sigurdardottir  2 , Christian Benedict  3 , Torbjørn Omland  2 , Jonathan Cedernaes  4
Affiliations

Effects of curtailed sleep on cardiac stress biomarkers following high-intensity exercise

Teemu Martikainen et al. Mol Metab. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: Physical exercise-especially at high intensity-is known to impose cardiac stress, as mirrored by, e.g., increased blood levels of cardiac stress biomarkers such as cardiac Troponin T (cTnT) and NT-proBNP. We examined healthy young participants to determine whether a few nights of short sleep duration alter the effects of acute exercise on these blood biomarkers.

Methods: Sixteen men participated in a randomized order in a crossover design, comprising three consecutive nights of a) normal sleep duration (NS, 8.5 h of sleep/night) and b) sleep restriction (SR, 4.25 h of sleep/night). Blood was repeatedly sampled for determination of NT-proBNP and cTnT serum levels before and after a high-intensity exercise protocol (i.e., 75% VO2maxReserve cycling on an ergometer).

Results: Under pre-exercise sedentary conditions, blood levels of cTnT and NT-proBNP did not significantly differ between the sleep conditions (P > 0.10). However, in response to exercise, the surge of circulating cTnT was significantly greater following SR than NS (+37-38% at 120-240 min post-exercise, P ≤ 0.05). While blood levels of NT-proBNP rose significantly in response to exercise, they did not differ between the sleep conditions.

Conclusion: Recurrent sleep restriction may increase the cardiac stress response to acute high-intensity exercise in healthy young individuals. However, our findings must be further confirmed in women, older subjects and in patients with a history of heart disease.

Keywords: Cardiomyocyte; Cardiovascular strain; Heart muscle; High-intensity exercise; Sleep loss; Troponin.

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Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Recurrent sleep restriction increases circulating levels of troponin T after acute exercise. Serum levels of cardiac Troponin-T (cTnT) before and after the morning exercise bout, in the normal sleep (NS) and sleep restriction (SR) condition (n = 16 participants). The horizontal line indicates the main time effect; the vertical line the main effect for the sleep condition; individual asterisks indicate differences between sleep conditions at specific (post-hoc-tested) time points. Values shown as mean ± S.E.M. ∗, P < 0.05; ∗∗∗, P < 0.001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Recurrent sleep restriction does not increase circulating levels of NT-proBNP after acute exercise. Serum levels of N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) before and after the morning exercise bout, in the normal sleep (NS) and sleep restriction (SR) condition (n = 16 participants). The horizontal line indicates the main time effect. Values shown as mean ± S.E.M. ∗∗∗, P < 0.001.
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