In a human study conducted at the University of Chicago, it was found that moderate sleep restriction led to relatively dramatic reductions in testosterone. Ten men, with an average age of 24.3, were instructed to sleep 8h/night for one week at home, and then given 10h/night sleep opportunity for three days in the lab. Thus, before being subject to the experimental conditions, they were very well-rested. They were then given 5h bedtimes for the next several nights. Daytime testosterone levels decreased a surprising 10-15% after 8 days of sleep restriction. For comparison, normal aging is associated with only 1-2% decrease in testosterone per year.
How many of us sleep 5h (or less) on a regular basis? Or did for some period of our lives?
Source: Leproult & Van Cauter. JAMA 305, 2011.
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