Gut Microbiota Composition and Functionality Are Associated With REM Sleep Duration and Continuous Glucose Levels

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Health
• Sleep Science
• Microbiome Research

Background:

• Sleep disruption is linked to poor glucose control and altered gut microbiota in animal models.
• Understanding the interplay between sleep, glucose metabolism, and gut bacteria is crucial for metabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep duration, continuous glucose levels, and gut microbiota composition in healthy adults.
• To explore the relationship between REM sleep, glycemic variability, and specific gut microbial taxa.

Main Methods:

• Observational, prospective, cross-sectional study of 118 healthy volunteers (60 with obesity).
• Assessed REM sleep duration via wrist actigraphy and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) over 10 days.
• Analyzed gut microbiota composition using shotgun metagenomics sequencing.

Main Results:

• Increased glycemic variability (SD, CV, IQR) and time in glucose range (TIR2, TIR3) were observed in individuals with obesity.
• REM sleep duration was independently associated with higher TIR3 and reduced glucose variability (SD).
• Christensenellaceae family bacteria positively correlated with REM sleep and inversely with CGM levels; Enterobacteriaceae showed opposite associations.

Conclusions:

• Reduced REM sleep duration is independently associated with a worse glucose profile.
• The observed associations between gut bacteria (Christensenellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae), REM sleep, and glucose levels suggest an integrated role in metabolic health.