Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effect of 60-h sleep deprivation on cardiovascular regulation and body temperature

  • Original Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined cardiovascular regulation and body temperature (BT) during 60 h of sleep deprivation in 20 young healthy cadets. Heart rate variability was measured during an active orthostatic test (AOT). Measurements were performed each day in the morning and evening after 2, 14, 26, 38, 50 and 60 h of sleep deprivation. In AOT, in the sitting and standing positions, heart rate decreased (P < 0.001), while high frequency and low frequency power increased (P < 0.05–0.001) during sleep deprivation. Body temperature also decreased (P < 0.001), but no changes were detected in blood pressure. In conclusion, the accumulation of 60 h of sleep loss resulted in increased vagal outflow, as evidenced by decreased heart rate. In addition, BT decreased during sleep deprivation. Thus, sleep deprivation causes alterations in autonomic regulation of the heart, and in thermoregulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ax A, Luby ED (1961) Autonomic responses to sleep deprivation. Arch Gen Psychiatry 4:55–59

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ballard RD, Tan WC, Kelly PL, Pak J, Pandey R, Martin RJ (1990) Effect of sleep and sleep deprivation on ventilatory response to bronchoconstriction. J Appl Physiol 69:490–497

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bond V, Balkissoon B, Franks BD, Brwnlow R, Caprarola M, Bartley D, Banks M (1986) Effects of sleep deprivation on performance during submaximal and maximal exercise. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 26:169–174

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen HI (1991) Effects of 30-h sleep loss on cardiorespiratory functions at rest and in exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 23:193–198

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burgess HJ, Trinder J, Kim Y, Luke D (1997) Sleep and circadian influences on cardiac autonomic nervous system activity. Am J Physiol 273:1761–1768

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimitrov S, Lange T, Tieken S, Fehm HL, Born J (2004) Sleep associated regulation of T helper 1/T helper 2 cytokine balance in humans. Brain Behav Immun 18:341–348

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eckberg DL (2003) The human respiratory gate. J Physiol 15:339–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Folkard S, Monk TH, Lobban MC (1979) Towards a predictive test of adjustment to shift work. Ergonomics 22:79–91

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Ortiz M, Martinez-Abundis E, Balcazar-Munoz BR, Pascoe-Gonzalez S (2000) Effect of sleep deprivation on insulin sensitivity and cortisol concentration in healthy subjects. Diabetes Nutr Metab 13:80–83

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison Y, Horne JA, Rothwell (2000) A prefrontal neuropsychological effects of sleep deprivation in young adults—a model for healthy aging? Sleep 15(23):1067–1073

  • Holmes AL, Burgess HJ, Dawson D (2002) Effects of sleep pressure on endogenous cardiac autonomic activity and body temperature. J Appl Physiol 92:2578–2584

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Horne JA (1983) Human sleep and tissue restitution: some qualifications and doubts. Clin Sci 65:569–577

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horne JA (1993) Human sleep, sleep loss and behaviour implications for the prefrontal cortex and psychiatric disorder. Br J Psychiatry 162:413–419

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horne JA, Pettitt AN (1985) High incentive effects on vigilance performance during 72 hours of total sleep deprivation. Acta Psychol 58:123–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Irwin M (2002) Effects of sleep and sleep loss on immunity and cytokines. Brain Behav Immun 16:503–512

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jurca R, Church TS, Morss GM, Jordan AN, Earnest CP (2004) Eight weeks of moderate-intensity exercise training increases heart rate variability in sedentary postmenopausal women. Am Heart J 147:21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM (2000) Principles of neural science international ed, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato M, Phillips BG, Sigurdsson G, Narkiewicz K, Pesek CA, Somers VK (2000) Effects of sleep deprivation on neural circulatory control. Hypertension 35:1173–1175

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Knutson KL, Spiegel K, Penev P, Van Cauter E (2007) The metabolic consequences of sleep deprivation. Sleep Med Rev 11:163–178

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kolka MA, Martin BJ, Elizondo RS (1984) Exercise in a cold environment after sleep deprivation. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 53:282–285

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lubin A, Hord DJ, Tracy ML, Johnson LC (1976) Effects of exercise, bed rest and napping on performance decrement during 40 hours. Psychophysiology 13:334–339

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lusardi P, Zoppi A, Preti P, Pesce RM, Piazza E, Fogari R (1999) Effects of insufficient sleep on blood pressure in hypertensive patients: a 24-h study. Am J Hypertens 12:63–68

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meier-Ewert HK, Ridker PM, Rifai N, Regan MM, Price NJ, Dinges DF, Mullington JM (2004) Effect of sleep loss on C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker of cardiovascular risk. J Am Coll Cardiol 43:678–683

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Narkiewicz K, van de Borne PJ, Hausberg M, Cooley RL, Winniford MD, Davison DE, Somers VK (1998) Cigarette smoking increases sympathetic outflow in humans. Circulation 98:528–534

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neilly JB, Kribbs NB, Maislin G, Pack AI (1992) Effects of selective sleep deprivation on ventilation during recovery sleep in normal humans. J Appl Physiol 72:100–109

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa Y, Kanbayashi T, Saito Y, Takahashi Y, Kitajima T, Takahashi K, Hishikawa Y, Shimizu T (2003) Total sleep deprivation elevates blood pressure through arterial baroreflex resetting: a study with microneurographic technique. Sleep 15:986–989

    Google Scholar 

  • Pilcher JJ, Huffcutt AI (1996) Effects of sleep deprivation on performance: a meta-analysis. Sleep 19:318–326

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shamsuzzaman AS, Caples SM, Somers VK (2003) Sleep deprivation and circulatory control. Sleep 15:934–936

    Google Scholar 

  • Shearer WT, Reuben JM, Mullington JM, Price NJ, Lee BN, Smith EO, Szuba MP, Van Dongen HP, Dinges DF (2001) Soluble TNF-alpha receptor 1 and IL-6 plasma levels in humans subjected to the sleep deprivation model of spaceflight. J. Allergy Clin Immunol 107:165–170

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spengler CM, Shea SA (2000) Sleep deprivation per se does not decrease the hypercapnic ventilatory response in humans. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 161:1124–1128

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spiegel K, Leproult R, Van Cauter E (1999) Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. Lancet 23:1435–1439

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas M, Sing H, Belenky G (2000) Neuronal basis of alertness and cognitive performance impairments during sleepiness. Effects of 24 h of sleep deprivation on waking human regional brain activity. J Sleep Res 9:335–352

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Cauter E, Blackman JD, Roland D, Spire JP, Refetoff S, Polonsky KS (1991) Modulation of glucose regulation and insulin secretion by circadian rhythmicity and sleep. J Clin Invest 88:934–942

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Cauter E, Holmback U, Knutson K, Leproult R, Miller A, Nedeltcheva A, Pannain S, Penev P, Tasali E, Spiegel K (2007) Impact of sleep and sleep loss on neuroendocrine and metabolic function. Horm Res 67(1):2–9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vanhelder T, Randomski MW (1989) Sleep deprivation and the effect on exercise performance. Sports Med 7:235–247

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vgontzas AN, Papanicolaou DA, Bixler EO, Lotsikas A, Zachman K, Kales A, Prolo P, Wong M-L, Licinio J, Gold PW, Hermida RC, Mastorakos G, Chrousos GP (1999) Circadian interleukin-6 secretion and quantity and depth of sleep. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 84:2603–2607

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • White DP, Douglas NJ, Pickett CK, Zwillich CW, Weil JV (1983) Sleep deprivation and the control of ventilation. Am Rev Respir 128:984–986

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu JC, Gillin JC, Buchsbaum MS, Hershey T, Hazlett E, Sicotte N, Bunney WE Jr (1991) The effect of sleep deprivation on cerebral glucose metabolic rate in normal humans assessed with positron emission tomography. Sleep 14:155–162

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhong X, Hilton HJ, Gates GJ, Jelic S, Stern Y, Bartels MN, Demeersman RE, Basner RC (2005) Increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic cardiovascular modulation in normal humans with acute sleep deprivation. J Appl Physiol 98:2024–2032

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Jani Vaara, Heikki Kyröläinen & Taija Finni

  2. National Defence University, Helsinki, Finland

    Heikki Kyröläinen & Mikko Koivu

  3. Department of Exercise and Medical Physiology, Verve, Oulu, Finland

    Mikko Tulppo

Authors
  1. Jani Vaara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heikki Kyröläinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mikko Koivu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mikko Tulppo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Taija Finni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jani Vaara.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vaara, J., Kyröläinen, H., Koivu, M. et al. The effect of 60-h sleep deprivation on cardiovascular regulation and body temperature. Eur J Appl Physiol 105, 439–444 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0921-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0921-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation