Abstract
Sleep restriction (SR) impairs glycemic control, elevating the postprandial blood glucose (BG) response, an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality. Stair stepping and peripheral heating with negative pressure have been shown to acutely improve glycemic indices but have not been tested after SR. PURPOSE: To examine if stair stepping or peripheral heating with negative pressure improve postprandial BG after SR. We hypothesized 1-minute of brief, low-effort stair stepping and 60 min peripheral heating with negative pressure would improve postprandial glucose in sleep restricted (≤4 hours) young adults. METHODS: Participants (N=24; 22 (2) y; 13 female; 23.8 (5) kg/m2) performed a 1-hr oral glucose tolerance test (75g dextrose) in 4 conditions: 1) habitual sleep and seated rest; 2) SR and seated rest; 3) SR and stair stepping at 27 minutes post-glucose; and 4) SR and application of heat and negative pressure to feet from 0 to 60 min. BG and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured at baseline and every 15 minutes. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences in peak and incremental area under the curve (iAUC) BG. RESULTS: SR did not affect glycemic indices during seated rest: peak (190 (27) vs 189 (24) mg*dL-1, p=0.63) and iAUC (61 (19) vs 62 (19) mg*dL-1*min-1, p=.94) BG. After SR, compared to seated rest, stair stepping reduced peak (-8 (17) mg*dL-1, p=0.036) and iAUC (-11 (16) mg*dL-1*min-, p=0.006) BG; heat with negative pressure also reduced peak (-6 (28) mg/dL, p=0.34) and iAUC (-3 (20) mg*dL-1, p=0.50) BG but without statistical significance. After excluding six participants with a decrease in HRV of >10%, suggestive of a stress response from excess heat exposure, heat with negative pressure reduced peak (-16 (25) mg*dL-1, p=0.027) and iAUC (-10 (18) mg*dL-1, p=0.056) BG compared to seated rest. CONCLUSION: One night of SR (≤4 hours) did not significantly alter postprandial glycemia in young adults. After SR, stair stepping improved postprandial glycemia compared to seated rest, while heat with negative pressure improved postprandial glycemia only when excessive heat stress, inferred by HRV, was avoided. The preliminary findings indicate both interventions may mitigate postprandial hyperglycemia after SR, offering feasible strategies to support metabolic health.
Recommended Citation
Stringfellow, Sabrina S.; Demonteverde, Rachel; Moore, Jeff; and Kressler, Jochen
(2025)
"Stair Stepping and Peripheral Heating with Negative Pressure Improve Postprandial Glucose in Sleep Restricted Young Adults,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14:
Iss.
5, Article 89.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss5/89