The Influence of Sleep Restriction and High-Intensity Interval Exercise on Plasma and Skeletal Muscle Inflammatory Markers in Young Healthy Males.

PURPOSE: Inadequate sleep has been linked to the development of cardiometabolic disease, with increases in inflammation suggested as a possible underlying mechanism. Exercise has anti-inflammatory properties and may ameliorate some of the detrimental inflammatory effects associated with sleep loss. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of sleep restriction, with or without high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), on plasma and skeletal muscle markers of inflammation. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy, young males underwent a five-night sleep intervention period. Participants were allocated to one of three groups: normal sleep (NS, n = 8) (8 h time in bed each night [TIB]), sleep restriction (SR, n = 8) (4 h TIB), or sleep restriction and exercise (SR+EX, n = 8, 4 h TIB, with three sessions of HIIE). Skeletal muscle and plasma samples were collected pre- and post-intervention and assessed for inflammatory markers. RESULTS: Plasma inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) did not change from pre- to post-intervention in any group ( P > 0.05). Skeletal muscle protein content of NFAT1 increased in the SR group only (mean difference ± SD: 0.39 ± 0.45 A.U.; 95% CI[0.10-0.67 A.U.], P = 0.010). However, no further changes in inflammation-related skeletal muscle mRNA content (NF-KB (p50), NF-KB (p65), and SOD1) or protein content (p-STAT1, p-JNK, and p-ERK 1/2) were observed in any group ( P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Five nights of SR, with or without HIIE, resulted in minimal changes to plasma and skeletal muscle inflammatory markers. Additional timepoints and broader inflammatory assessments may better elucidate the relationship between sleep loss and inflammation.