Testosterone Levels Diminished by Lack of Sleep

The results of a new study appear to indicate that young healthy males can experience a significant reduction in the amounts of testosterone they produce when they lose sleep. Lack of sleep has been positively correlated with the decreased production of this essential hormone.

Experts at the University of Chicago recognize that the work was carried out on a very small sample of participants, but say that the research could provide an interesting starting point for a larger research.

They add that the study is only a small part of a larger scientific endeavor, whose goal is to tease out the nature of the correlations that develop between the endocrine (hormonal) system and lack of sleep, low sleep durations, or reduced quality of sleep.

An emerging body of evidence is starting to suggest that a connection does exist, and that its effects are not at all positive. The hormonal system controls processes such as metabolism, growth, tissue function and mood, among many others.

Details of the investigation were published in the June 1 issue of the esteemed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), PsychCentral reports. During the research, a number of volunteers slept for a week in a sleep laboratory.

All of them were allowed to sleep for only 5 hours per night or less. When experts analyzed their levels of testosterone, they learned that the hormone was in significantly lower amounts than in young males who had slept 7 or 8 hours per night.

This hormone plays an essential role in the physical development of men, which includes building strength and muscle mass, and bone density. In addition, it determines their sexual behavior, as well as their reproduction-related behaviors and patterns.

“Low testosterone levels are associated with reduced well-being and vigor, which may also occur as a consequence of sleep loss,” study investigator Eve Van Cauter, PhD says of the new results.

These results are extremely disturbing if we take into account the numbers set forth by official statistics published for the United States. As much as 15 percent of all the adults involved in the work field sleep for less than 5 hours per night.

This type of behavior triggers the onset of numerous conditions, all of which place a huge strain on the country's already-strained healthcare budget. The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are severe too.