Total sleep deprivation decreases saliva ghrelin levels in adolescents

Regina Felső; Éva Lányi; Éva Erhardt; Zsófia Laufer; Dániel Kardos; Róbert Herczeg; Attila Gyenesei; Katalin Hollódy; Dénes Molnár

doi:10.1111/jsr.13746

Total sleep deprivation decreases saliva ghrelin levels in adolescents

J Sleep Res. 2023 Apr;32(2):e13746. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13746. Epub 2022 Oct 11.

Authors

Regina Felső^{1

2}, Éva Lányi³, Éva Erhardt¹, Zsófia Laufer¹, Dániel Kardos¹, Róbert Herczeg^{2

4}, Attila Gyenesei^{2

4}, Katalin Hollódy¹, Dénes Molnár^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
² National Laboratory on Human Reproduction, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
³ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
⁴ National Laboratory for Human Reproduction, Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.

PMID: 36217837
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13746

Abstract

Ghrelin, a regulator of food intake and energy expenditure, has been shown to be associated with insufficient sleep. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of a single night of total sleep deprivation on fasting saliva ghrelin and on nocturnal variation of saliva ghrelin concentration. A further aim of the study was to investigate the influence of body mass index on changes in saliva ghrelin levels. Altogether 35 adolescents (18 boys; age: 13.8 ± 1.14 years) were studied on two subsequent days (sleep and total sleep deprivation). Saliva samples were collected during the two experimental nights at 21:00 hours, 01:00 hours and 06:00 hours. Total-ghrelin concentration showed a continuous increase from the evening until 06:00 hours. This increase was blunted significantly (p = 0.003) by total sleep deprivation. Total-ghrelin level was significantly lower (p = 0.02) during total sleep deprivation at 06:00 hours (median 403.6 pg ml^-1 ; 95% confidence interval: 343.1-468.9 pg ml^-1 ) as compared with values during the sleep condition (median 471.2 pg ml^-1 ; 95% confidence interval: 205.4-1578.7 pg ml^-1 ). Acyl-ghrelin levels did not present any change at the three time points, and were not affected by total sleep deprivation. Stratifying the study population according to body mass index (normal weight and overweight/obese groups), the blunting effect of total sleep deprivation was more pronounced in the obese/overweight group (sleep: median 428.2 pg ml^-1 ; 95% confidence interval: 331.3-606.9 pg ml^-1 versus total sleep deprivation: median 333.1 pg ml^-1 ; 95% confidence interval: 261.5-412.9 pg ml^-1 ; p = 0.0479). Saliva total-ghrelin concentrations gradually increased during the night, and total sleep deprivation significantly blunted this increase. This blunting effect was mainly observed in subjects with overweight/obesity. The physiological and clinical implications of the present observation are to be clarified by further studies.

Keywords: acyl-ghrelin; adolescents; body mass index; obesity; total sleep deprivation; total-ghrelin.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Ghrelin*
Humans
Male
Obesity / complications
Overweight / complications
Saliva
Sleep / physiology
Sleep Deprivation* / complications

Substances

Ghrelin