Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by excess blood sugar (or hyperglycemia). People affected by Type 2 diabetes secrete insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, i.e. blood sugar, but this production is insufficient to maintain it at a normal level. This condition can lead to many serious complications, such as a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes represents 90% of cases after the age of 60 according to the Vidal website. Several factors favor the appearance of this type of diabetes: a genetic predisposition, coupled with an unbalanced diet, being overweight, or even a lack of physical activity.
Insufficient sleep: what impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
In a recent study published on November 13 in the journal Diabetes Careresearchers from Columbia University (United States), looked at the impact of sleep insufficient and irregular on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women. “Throughout their lives, women face many changes in their sleep patterns due to motherhood, raising children, and menopause“, explains Marie-Pierre St-Onge, co-author of the study, in a press release.
For their work, the researchers subjected 38 healthy women, including 11 postmenopausal women, with regular sleep of at least 7 hours per night to two experiments: one where they had to maintain a sufficient level of sleep and the other where they were asked to delay going to bed by 90 minutes to reduce their sleep time to around 6 hours. The study recalls that the optimal sleep duration is between 7 and 9 hours per night. Throughout their observations, the scientists measured the participants’ insulin, glucose and body fat.
Diabetes: reducing your nights by 90 minutes would increase insulin resistance by 15%
At the end of the study, the researchers noticed thatreducing sleep time by 90 minutes for six weeks led to an increase in insulin resistance by almost 15% in all women who used to get enough sleep and more than 20% in those who are postmenopausal. The effect of lack of sleep on insulin resistance is therefore significant in participants, particularly in postmenopausal women.
According to scientists, these findings are the first to show that a mild sleep deficit for six weeks can lead to changes in the body that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women. “Over a longer period, ongoing stress on insulin-producing cells could lead to their failure and ultimately type 2 diabetes“, explains Marie-Pierre St-Onge. A prolonged lack of sleep could therefore significantly affect insulin production and promote the onset of type 2 diabetes according to the study researchers.
Diabetes: getting enough sleep, a key habit to reduce risks
These results provide a better understanding of the links between sleep and the hormones responsible for regulating blood sugar. “The bottom line is that getting enough sleep every night can lead to better blood sugar control and a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes, particularly in postmenopausal women” concludes Marie-Pierre St-Onge.
According to the scientists, this relationship should be further explored to study whether stabilizing sleep in people with variable bedtimes could improve blood sugar control, or whether restoring sufficient sleep in those who lack it would be likely to act on glucose metabolism. There is therefore still much research to be done to understand the links between sleep and type 2 diabetes.
Sources
Press release – Shortening sleep time increases diabetes risk in women
French Federation of Diabetics – What is diabetes?
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