Research

Hormonal

Prior resistance training (8 weeks) mitigates muscle atrophy and body mass loss induced by sleep deprivation (96 hours) by maintaining anabolic signaling (mTOR/p70S6K) and suppressing catabolic markers (corticosterone, ubiquitinated proteins, LC3).

If you are experiencing periods of poor sleep, maintaining your resistance training routine may help protect your muscle mass and prevent excessive weight loss. The study suggests that prior training builds a 'buffer' that helps your body handle the catabolic stress of sleep deprivation better than being sedentary.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
We report that SD induced muscle atrophy, probably due to the increased corticosterone and catabolic signal. High intensity RT performed before SD was beneficial in containing muscle loss rate induced by SD. It also minimized the catabolic signal and increased the synthetic activity, thereby minimizing the body's weight loss.
Marcos Mônico‐Neto et al. · Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism · 2015

Why this rating

Animal study (rats); findings may not directly translate to human physiology or clinical outcomes.

Source

Resistance training minimizes catabolic effects induced by sleep deprivation in rats

Marcos Mônico‐Neto et al. · Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism · 2015

DOI 10.1139/apnm-2015-0061

mechanism_only · n=50Cited 45×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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