A preliminary investigation of the effects of short‐duration, vigorous exercise following sleep restriction, fragmentation and extension on appetite and mood in inactive, middle‐aged men.

This preliminary study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise on appetite and mood following multiple days of sleep disruption (restriction [RES], fragmentation [FRAG]) or sleep extension (EXT), compared to normal sleep (CONT) in inactive, middle‐aged men. Nine men completed four randomised trials initiated by 3 nights (day 1–3) of CONT (6.5–8 hr), RES (4 hr), FRAG (6.5–8 hr, interrupted at 2‐hr intervals) or EXT (10 hr). On day 4 between 08:30 and 11:00 hours, perceived appetite, food cravings, appetite‐related hormones (acylated ghrelin, leptin, peptide tyrosine–tyrosine [PYY]total), glucose, mood states and wellness (stress, fatigue, soreness, and mood) were assessed before (post‐sleep manipulation [SM]) and after (post‐exercise [EX]) a 20‐min vigorous cycling bout (rating of perceived exertion: 15). There was no effect of sleep manipulation or exercise on perceived appetite (p =.34–.62). Some aspects of food craving were altered after RES and EXT, with vigorous exercise attenuating the desire for sweet foods in RES (p =.12). PYYtotal was lower after RES compared to EXT and FRAG (p =.03), but was unaltered by exercise (p =.03). Ghrelin was higher for RES and EXT compared to CONT and FRAG after exercise (p =.001–.03). Total wellness was reduced and total mood disturbance (TMD) was higher after RES and FRAG compared to CONT and EXT (p ≤.05). However, vigorous exercise countered these changes, with wellness and TMD remaining significantly impaired for FRAG compared to EXT only at this time (p =.02–.03). Vigorous exercise mitigates some aspects of food cravings and counters the impaired mood states that exist after multiple days of restricted and fragmented sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]