Lack of Sleep Could Raise Risk of Diabetes

Did you ever think those late nights during the work week could cause more than just sleep deprivation? It has been found that people who have slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to develop a condition that precedes diabetes than those sleeping for longer periods of time.

The researchers said that the study supported mounting evidence that cutting back on your sleep can have a very profound impact on your health. This six-year study was presented at a recent conference for the American Heart Association.

Cases of type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to obesity, have been rising all across the world. This condition develops when the body makes too much insulin, but does not use the hormone the hormone efficiently to help break down sugar in the blood. It is considered a stepping stone on the way to the condition which is known as impaired fasting glucose, in which the levels of blood sugar are too high, but not high enough to constitute a diagnosis of diabetes.

A research team from the University of Buffalo, in New York, followed a group of volunteers for the study for over a period of six years. They found out that the people who slept on average for fewer than six hours a night during the work week were approximately 4.56 times more likely to develop impaired fasting glucose than those that were sleeping six to eight hours a night.

The lead researcher of the study, Lisa Rafalson, said, “This study supports growing evidence of the association of inadequate sleep with adverse health issues. Our findings will hopefully spur additional research into this very complex area of sleep and illness.” Dr. Rafalson also stated that was likely that hormones and the nervous system were behind this link.

A sleep expert at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Dr. Neil Stanley, also agreed that there was a mounting body of evidence that has linked lack of sleep to conditions such as diabetes. However, he also said that the reason still remain unclear, although it was possible that the lack of sleep raised the risk of gaining weight, which in turn could also raise the risk of diabetes. “There is some evidence that lack of sleep mucks up our appetite hormones, so you want to eat more, and eat the wrong things —when we are tired we tend to crave sugary foods. A good night’s sleep is a biological necessity: your body wants and needs a good night’s sleep every night, and if you are well rested you will get a lot more done during the day.”

The director of research at the charity Diabetes UK, Dr. Iain Frame, said that this study was much to small to draw an firm conclusions from. However, the findings have echoes studies previously conducted which found that there might be a link between disturbed sleep patterns and a raised risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

He also added that when it comes to discussing the major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, issues that involve sleep duration will remain less significant than other more established risk factors such as being obese, being over the age of 40, or having a history of diabetes that runs in the family.