Diabetes and sleep problems often go together. It contributes to sleep loss and studies have also shown that not sleeping well can increase the risk of developing diabetes. Modern-style living is also much more competitive and fast-paced, leading to lack of sleep and poor sleep quality. In fact, a study in Japan found that sleep duration that were too short or too long were associated with higher HbA1c levels and a higher body mass index, regardless of physical activity and diet!
Besides that, when your blood glucose is too high, your body works hard by making the kidneys get rid of it by urinating, leading to you having to wake up and going to the bathroom throughout the whole night. Since sleep deprivation leads to tiredness and lethargy, affected individuals also tend to eat more as the body tries to get more energy. This can lead to consumption of more sugar of other foods that can increase blood glucose levels leading to the cycle all over again. This is called a positive feedback cycle.
Some studies have likened sleep loss to resemble insulin resistance. When insulin resistance occurs, cells in the body are no longer able to use the hormone efficiently, leading to high blood sugar.
Proof That Sleep Affects Diabetes
- Study participants were asked to sleep 4 hours a day for 6 nights. This resulted in 40% higher glucose levels. When participants were fed with a high-carbohydrate breakfast, their glucose levels stayed significantly higher compared to when they were well rested, evidence that their body was not processing glucose well.
- Another study involved scientists disrupting people’s sleep just enough to prevent them from entering the stage of deep sleep without waking them. This decreased the efficiency of their insulin and increased their blood glucose levels.
- Other studies show that individuals who sleep less tend to be heavier, increasing the risk of sleep apnea and diabetes. With the excess weight, fat deposits around the upper airway causing obstruction in breathing. This disrupts sleep and further increases the risk of diabetes.
With all the data and evidence that proves that insufficient sleep can highly affect blood glucose levels, it may be time to revise your daily schedule and try to make time for sleep as it can be beneficial to your health. As my mom often say, “there is never not enough time, you just have to make time!”.
[expand title=”References“]
Sleep longer to lower blood glucose levels. National Sleep Foundation.
Too much or too little sleep apnea may raise your blood glucose level and expand your waistline. American Diabetes Association.
Mann D. The sleep-diabetes connection. WebMD.
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