The Effects of Different Modalities of a Single Bout of Exercise on Sleep Architecture and Food Choices in Overweight/Obese Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Previous research on the impact of acute exercise on sleep patterns has generated conflicting findings, and most of these studies have focused on individuals with a lean body composition. Additionally, few studies have explored changes in appetite following a single bout of exercise. Consequently, the specific influence of aerobic acute exercise on sleep parameters in overweight or obese young adults remains uncertain. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how a single session of aerobic exercise affects sleep architecture in healthy young adults with overweight or obesity. Methods: Eighteen participants (50% female; mean age 21 ± 1 years) without self-reported sleep disorders or chronic health conditions were enrolled in the study. The Balke-Ware procedure (a treadmill-graded test) was utilized to determine peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) at exhaustion. The intervention involved three conditions: no exercise, moderate exercise, and intense exercise. Heart rates corresponding to 50% and 75% of VO2peak were used to establish exercise intensity for the moderate and intense conditions, respectively. Polysomnography was employed to measure sleep parameters throughout the night following each intervention. Additionally, participants completed appetite visual analogue scales before each meal on the exercise day and the following day. Results: Univariate analyses did not reveal significant associations between the independent variables (condition, order, and sex) and sleep parameters. However, the intense exercise condition, when normalized to the moderate condition, showed a positive correlation with the number of arousals during the subsequent night. Multivariate analysis did not yield significant effects. Furthermore, there was no overall impact of order (p=0.651), sex (p=0.628), or appetite timing (p=0.400) on sleep characteristics, and individual sleep variables did not influence the Hunger and Fullness scales. Nevertheless, the proportion of stage N2 sleep had a positive association with the Quantity scale, while both the amount and percentage of time spent in REM sleep had a negative association with the Quantity scale, though these associations did not reach significance in multivariate analyses. Conclusion: Acute aerobic exercise, whether intense or moderate, does not appear to have a significant impact, either positive or negative, on sleep quality and quantity in young adults vi with overweight or obesity. Subjective appetite may be related to REM and stage 2 sleep independent of exercise.