A blood test to detect acute sleep deprivation
A potentially useful tool for patients with dementia and psychiatric illnesses, as well as in transportation and industrial operations.
In our fast-paced modern lives, lack of sleep has become a pervasive issue with serious consequences for human health, productivity and safety. However, accurately detecting acute sleep deprivation objectively can be more challenging than it appears at first. While one could simply ask individuals how much they've slept, self-reports can be unreliable, especially in patients with dementia or psychiatric illnesses. What’s more, a reliable biological test for acute sleep deprivation could have immense value for the aforementioned patients, as well as situations where alertness is critical, such as transportation, healthcare and industrial operations.
In a recent study, researchers have developed and validated a novel set of metabolic biomarkers capable of precisely identifying when an individual has been awake for over 24 hours straight. By tracking hundreds of metabolites in blood plasma samples across extended periods of enforced wakefulness up to over 40 hours in a tightly controlled lab setting, the team uncovered a distinct molecular signature reflecting the sleep-deprived state. Employing mass spectrometry, data analytics and machine learning techniques, they identified a lean signature of just five key metabolites whose levels changed in a characteristic pattern as hours without sleep accumulated.
This five-metabolite panel proved accurate at detecting acute sleep deprivation beyond 24 hours. When tested on individuals over time, the biomarkers correctly predicted acute sleep deprivation versus well-rested state with up to 94% accuracy. Even in the more challenging real-world scenario of detecting excessive wakefulness from a single blood sample across different people, it still achieved a 79% accuracy rate. Notably, several of the metabolites, such as vanillin 4-sulfate and indole-3-propionate, are intimately linked to core biological processes impacted by sleep loss like liver function, antioxidant defenses and metabolic health. The other 3 metabolites were an unidentified monosaccharide, phospholipid PI and lysophospholipid LPC. Their altered levels revealed by the signature provide insights into the metabolic dysregulation wrought by acute sleep deprivation.
As chronic sleep debt exacts a heavy toll on human health, the ability to reliably detect excessive wakefulness could open new avenues for timely interventions and therapies to mitigate its detrimental effects across many sectors.
Study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj6834
***
About the author
Alen Juginović is a medical doctor and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School studying the effect of poor sleep quality on health. He is public and keynote speaker and teacher at Harvard College. He and his team also organize international award-winning projects such as conferences which attracted 2400+ participants from 30+ countries, 10 Nobel laureates and major leaders in medicine (Plexus Conference), collaborative research projects, charity concerts and other events. He co-founded Med&X Association, a non-profit organization that organizes conferences with Nobel laureates and partners with leading universities and hospitals around the world to help accelerate the development of talented medical students and professionals. Feel free to contact Alen via LinkedIn for any inquiries.
Disclaimer: The content provided in this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or professional advice. The reader should consult with a medical professional for medical conditions or concerns, and with a financial or legal professional regarding any other specific needs or inquiries they may have related to the material discussed.
The writer expressly disclaims responsibility, obligation, or liability for actions taken by the reader in their unique circumstances based on any guidance, suggestions or recommendations made in this newsletter related to sleep health, optimization or hygiene. This content is not a substitute for personalized medical diagnosis, treatment or care from a trained physician.
The writer has made good faith efforts to confirm that all sleep science, research or health statistics referenced from third party sources are accurately represented. However, no warranty is made as to completeness or ongoing accuracy. Readers agree any reliance on newsletter content for decision making is at their sole discretion and risk. The writer is released of liability or claims related to applied use of this general educational content on sleep physiology or best practices.