There is increasing evidence that sleep disorders are linked to metabolic problems like sugar control disorders and weight management problems. It is common for patients to note improvements in their blood sugars, reduction in their weight and a drop in their blood pressure when they effectively treat their sleep disorder and start to get adequate, well-consolidated sleep.
The question is whether inadequate sleep or poor sleep is a minor cofactor or if it is a significant contributing cause of diabetes. Roughly 30% of American adults sleep less than 7 hours per night and are therefore chronically sleep deprived. Since the cycle of glucose levels in the bloodstream and the pancreatic function according to the 24 hour circadian sleep-wake cycle and fail to achieve full compensation with the curtailed sleep duration. Other hormones such as growth hormone, corticotropin (affecting cortisol) as well as the adrenalin (sympathetic) and vagal (parasympathetic) all require a full sleep cycle to function properly and they all affect the glucose system directly or indirectly.
Experiments as early as the 1960's showed that short term sleep deprivation showed glucose intolerance and high blood sugar levels. Since then longer term studies on people in real life circumstances. In the Sleep Heart Health Study patients who had reduced sleep had significantly more likely to have diabetes than those who slept 7-8 hours per night.
Another study looking at patients with known diabetes and reduced sleep duration each night found that their Hemoglobin A1C was 1.1 points higher than those who slept a normal amount of sleep per night.
Multiple studies have been performed over years to more than a decade following patients and their sleep habits and blood sugars. Patients who sleep 6 hours per night or less versus 7-8 hours per night are 1.5 - 3 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Although there are many suggested causes for this link. Reduced sleep is known to be associated with excess weight gain, for example. However, one thing is for certain:
Chronic sleep deprivation is bad for the health. Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 is another reason.
Darius Zoroufy, M.D.
Cleveland Clinic Journal Of Medicine - Volume 78 - Number 8 - August 2011
