SLEEP is essential for good health and well-being.
It keeps heart health in check, helps you maintain a healthy weight, makes sure your body can fight off germs and sickness, banishes stress, and improves mood.
But failing to get the recommended seven to nine hours sleep can lead to a number of chronic health problems, including one that might not be immediately obvious, diabetes.
Diabetes is often called a “silent killer” because it can progress without noticeable symptoms in its early stages.
This means many people may not realise they have the condition until significant complications like heart attacks, strokes, or kidney damage have already developed.
For this reason, it’s crucial to actively prevent it.
The best way to keep type 2 diabetes at bay is by maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, engaging in regular physical activity, limiting sugary drinks, and quitting smoking.
And it’s also important to look at your sleep habits.
Dr Tina Ghela, Digital Clinician at Medichecks, said five common sleep habits can increase your risk of the condition.
Sleep deprivation
Regularly getting less than six to seven hours of sleep has been shown to impact the metabolism of glucose and increase insulin resistance therefore adversely affecting the regulation of blood sugar
“Sleep deprivation also impacts the regulation of our appetite-related hormones,” said Dr Ghela.
“The ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin increases and the level of leptin (which signals us feeling full) decreases. This can lead to increased calorie consumption and obesity which is a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes.”
Excessive sleep duration
Sleeping in excess of nine hours a night has been associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, however, the underlying mechanism for this is not fully understood, said Dr Ghela.
“Other factors that are linked to excessive sleep include low levels of physical activity, depression or underlying health conditions all of which may contribute to a metabolic disturbance which in turn influences the risk of diabetes,” she added.
Inconsistent sleep patterns
Frequent changes to your sleep schedule, for example going to bed at different times or having irregular waking times, is thought to disrupt the circadian rhythm (body clock) and influence insulin sensitivity, therefore increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
“This is also frequently seen in shift workers, who have been found to have a higher risk of developing diabetes,” said Dr Ghela.
“Irregular sleep patterns are also more likely to be associated with other patterns of behaviour such as a more erratic diet which will also influence blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity.”
Poor sleep quality
Poor sleep quality may arise from intake of caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime, late night eating, screen use or activities such as exercise close to bedtime.
“These can all contribute to delayed sleep onset, and disturbed or restless sleep which have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes,” explained Dr Ghela.
Obstructive sleep apnoea
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a sleep disorder in which a person momentarily stops breathing at recurring intervals.
“These pauses in breathing interrupt the normal sleep cycle causing disturbed sleep. This has been associated with increased insulin resistance,” said Dr Ghela.
“It’s important to note that OSA typically occurs in people who are overweight or obese so they may also have other risk factors for type 2 diabetes.”
Symptoms of diabetes that can show up at night
It’s also worth looking out for signs diabetes may have already developed – Dr Ghela warned of three symptoms to look out for.
Frequent nighttime urination, known as nocturia, restless syndrome and peripheral neuropathy can all make themselves apparent when you’re in bed.
“Raised blood sugar levels can lead to an increased need to urinate which can wake individuals multiple times during the night,” warned Dr Ghela.
“Restless leg syndrome is a neurological disorder characterised by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations.
“It’s found to be more common in diabetic patients and may be linked to nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) associated with prolonged exposure to high blood sugars.
“And peripheral neuropathy is typically seen in patients that have had diabetes for a number of years, they tend to experience pain, tingling or numbness in their extremities.
“These symptoms are often more noticeable at night time leading to disturbed sleep.”
So what can you do at bedtime to reduce your risk of diabetes?
According to Dr Ghela, there are five steps to follow:
1. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule – aim to go to bed and wake at similar times daily including at the weekends, ensuring a consistent duration of sleep avoiding both insufficient or excess sleep.
2. Limit evening screen time – reduce exposure to screens emitting blue light at least an hour before bed.
3. Be mindful of your food and drink intake in the evenings – avoid heavy meals close to bedtime and avoid caffeine from midday onwards.
4. Create a relaxing bedtime routine – try calming activities such as reading, meditation, gentle stretching or reading. Also, try to ensure a good environment to sleep in that is quiet, dark and a comfortable temperature.
5. Avoid exercise too close to bedtime.
Being aware of other signs and risk factors for type 2 diabetes can help in prevention of the condition and complications…
11 little known signs and risk factors for type 2 diabetes
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
1. peeing more than usual
2. feeling thirsty all the time
3. feeling very tired
4. losing weight without trying to
5. itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
6. cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
7. blurred vision
You’re more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you:
8. are over 40 years old, or over 25 if you’re from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background
9. have a close relative with diabetes (such as a parent, brother or sister)
10. are overweight or living with obesity or are not very physically active
11. are from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background
Source: The NHS
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