The Link between Diabetes and Sleep

If you have diabetes, exercising daily and eating a healthy low-fat, low-carb diet are essential for controlling your blood sugar levels. But it seems that not getting enough sleep can jeopardize those healthy habits by increasing insulin resistance.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to feel well-rested. Sleep not only recharges your body and mind, but studies have shown that it also plays an important role in regulating appetite, energy use and weight control.

When you are asleep, your body produces more leptin, a natural appetite suppressant, and less grehlin, an appetite stimulant. Thus, the less sleep you get, the less leptin and more grehlin your body will make, and the more likely you will be to overeat during the day – and do so on the wrong types of foods. When you feel sleepy, you tend to crave comfort foods high in calories and carbs. This vicious cycle of chronic lack of sleep and overeating may ultimately lead to weight gain, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. 

In addition, certain hormones produced during sleep influence the body’s metabolism, including the rise and fall of blood sugar levels during the different stages of sleep. Getting less than seven hours a sleep a night, or not getting enough of each stage of sleep, disrupts this pattern of metabolism and increases insulin resistance, which can lead to obesity and an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Research has shown that sleep deprivation in healthy individuals causes changes in insulin and blood sugar levels similar to those seen in people with pre-diabetes. The less sleep you get, especially if you get five or fewer hours per night, the higher the risk of obesity and diabetes. And if you already have diabetes, not getting enough sleep has an even greater negative impact on your blood sugars.

Get Your Zzzz’s

Don’t become a victim of the cycle. If you exercise and eat healthy, be sure to get enough sleep to keep your metabolism and blood sugar at optimal levels. Not only is sleep beneficial for your body and mind, but getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night is important for maintaining good diabetes health.