Grant: Project Grant

Studies have shown that short sleep duration is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially in young people. Other research suggests that short-term sleep restriction leads to decreased insulin function, which could lead to T2D over time. However, whether increasing sleep duration may help to improve blood sugar levels and prevent T2D in youth is unknown though chronic sleep deprivation is common in modern societies. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the effect of lengthening sleep in habitually short-sleeping adolescents presenting with risk factors for T2D on markers of blood sugar. A total of 74 obese adolescents between 14 and 17 years of age with abnormal blood sugar levels and who habitually sleep less than 8 hours on school nights will participate in this sleep manipulation protocol. Participants will sleep their typical amount at home for 1 week and will then be assigned to two experimental conditions lasting two weeks each: prescribed habitual sleep (sleep time set to match baseline) and sleep extension (1.5-hour increase in time in bed from habitual sleep). Sleep will be obtained at home and will be directly measured using a device worn on the wrist. We will then compare blood measures between both sleep conditions at the end. If we confirm our hypothesis that increased sleep duration results in better insulin function, the implication will be to include "sleep" in the list of preventative measures aimed at preventing T2D in youth.