Effect of partial and total sleep deprivation on serum testosterone in healthy males: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Currently, there is no consensus on the effect of sleep deprivation on male serum testosterone. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the association between partial/total sleep deprivation and male serum testosterone level.The literature related to sleep deprivation and male serum testosterone in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from their inception to July 15, 2021. Data were pooled using the Stata 15 software. The results were presented as standard mean differences (SMDs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Eighteen studies involving 252 men were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The findings revealed that short-term partial sleep deprivation had no significant effect on male serum testosterone (SMD = -0.22; 95% CI: -0.5, 0.06; P = 0.13), while total sleep deprivation reduced the male testosterone levels (SMD = -0.64; 95% CI: -0.87, -0.42; P < 0.001). According to the intervention duration of total sleep deprivation, subgroup analysis was conducted by a fixed-effects model. The results revealed that the serum testosterone was significantly decreased after 24 h total sleep deprivation (SMD = - 0.67; 95% CI = - 0.93, -0.42, P < 0.001), as well as 40-48 h total sleep deprivation (SMD = - 0.74; 95% CI = - 1.22, -0.26, P = 0.002).This meta-analysis revealed that total sleep deprivation (more than or equal to 24 h) reduces the male testosterone levels, while short-term partial sleep deprivation has no significant effect on male serum testosterone. Sleep duration plays a pivotal role in maintaining male serum testosterone levels.