Reviewed by: Xubin Yang (Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University)
Researchers are studying the link between sleep and diabetes.
They found that sleep quality and length of sleep can affect the chances of developing diabetes.
One study found that sleeping too long increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 3 people may have slept too much at some point in their lives.
Another study found that sleeping too little disrupts the body's "physiological" rhythms.
If sleep is affected, the body's response to insulin weakens, which can induce diabetes.
Doctors aren't sure why poor sleep habits can induce diabetes.
But one thing is for sure: It's very wise to have quality sleep and develop good sleep habits.
First, demystify the connection
In 2015, in a study on diabetes, more than 59,000 women aged 55-83 were surveyed.
Researcher Dr. Susan Redline said there were two important findings in the study.
One of them is that women who are sleep-deprived continuously, i.e. sleep less than 6 hours a night, have a greatly increased risk of developing diabetes.
However, another new finding is that women who sleep more than 2 hours more at night than normal also have an increased risk of diabetes.
When the researchers analyzed the link between poor sleep and diabetes, they found that those who slept too little or too much had an increased risk of developing diabetes.
Susan said, "What's the real reason?" ”
In fact, the reason is not difficult to explain.
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Marina Chaparro, a nutritionist from Miami, said: "Back in my college days, when we stayed up all night, which foods tended to choose? Foods rich in fats and carbohydrates. And everyone knows that when we only have 4 or 5 hours of sleep in a day, we definitely don't want to spend time exercising. ”
Many other factors such as changes in diet and weight and lack of exercise are also explained in this study.
But even with a healthy diet and consistent exercise, researchers found that people who slept too much or too little had an increased risk of diabetes.
Second, the early sleep rhythm may affect metabolism
Researchers at the University of Colorado have found that sleeping too short disrupts the body's natural rhythms.
They simulated a 5-day work week with 5 hours of sleep per night.
They took into account the subject's complete sobriety outside of sleep.
Next, the researchers recorded periods when melatonin levels were highest in the subjects. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep.
Usually, melatonin levels are at their highest while asleep.
But the scientists found that if the subjects still maintained high levels of melatonin after waking up, the body's sensitivity to insulin effects decreased.
In fact, this is 20% lower than normal.
Doctors also found that if subjects ate food at a time when they should be sleeping, they were also at higher risk of developing diabetes.
Kenneth Wright, the lead researcher involved in the study, wrote in a press release: "We found that the longer you are awake when you should rest, the less sensitive your body is to insulin. This is important because impaired insulin sensitivity can induce prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. ”
For young people, a lack of quality sleep can induce a greater risk of disease, including diabetes.
"There may be some critical periods of development or sensitive periods in life... In fact, these periods are likely to cause some disruption to metabolism, or even cause what we call the re-formation of metabolism," Susan says, "probably because of your previous inappropriate sleep period, there is a greater risk of increased visceral fat (fat around the abdomen), which we think is linked to diabetes and heart disease."
"As you get older, you may try to get back to normal sleep, but you won't be able to change some of the habits you've formed before," Susan says.
Third, the ideal sleep is affected by many factors
Most experts believe that the ideal amount of sleep is 7-8 hours per night. But this, in turn, depends on age, and babies, toddlers and teens need more sleep.
It's one thing to understand that sleeping for a few hours is healthy, it's quite another to keep it at the basic level.
Especially when faced with a variety of troubles, such as bedmate snoring, chronic diseases such as sleep apnea syndrome or depression, TV noise, work schedules, and even spicy food consumption at dinner, it can affect the quality of sleep.
Kellie Antinori-Lent, a diabetes clinical care specialist in Pittsburgh, said: "I think it's easy to understand and doesn't require medical knowledge to be aware of it."
In general, Americans underestimate the importance of sleep and its health benefits, when in fact it affects your quality of life. ”
How do you achieve quality sleep?
Marina said: "We all have some sleep deprivation. And, she recommends using dark windows or heavy curtains to block out the light.
Eating something before bedtime, such as an apple or a cup of yogurt, can also help you get a good night's sleep.
Antinori-Lent advises not to leave the TV in the bedroom and to try reading a book to relax.
In addition, it is best to go to bed on time and get up on time every day, which experts say is the key to keeping the biological clock on track.
The National Sleep Foundation offers the following tips to help you fall asleep:
Adhere to a relatively relaxed routine;
Canceling naps can help change bad sleep rhythms;
Exercise regularly;
Keep the room temperature at 16 °C-19 °C;
Choose a comfortable mattress and pillows.
If you still have trouble sleeping, please consult a doctor in time. Lack of sleep or difficulty falling asleep may be a sign of another disorder, such as sleep apnea syndrome.
Susan said: "We have to think not only about how long we sleep, but also about how long we fall asleep, and there is a cross between our sleep duration and the rhythm of our biological cycles, and possibly even synergies." When the rhythm is out of order, especially when it is related to lack of sleep, it can cause a double blow to the metabolic system. ”
"If you have poor sleep quality, then you don't have to take medication and just develop a healthy lifestyle habit," Kelly says.
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