What Does Lack of Sleep Do to Your Blood Sugar Levels?
When people with type 2 diabetes are advised on how to control their diabetes… the type of food they eat and the amount of exercise they should do each week, predominates in the conversation. Up until now sleep is usually not mentioned but according to research, sleep might be another important factor.
A study at the University of Chicago looked at sleep and glucose tolerance in eleven non-diabetic people, average age 40, who were overweight and under-exercised. They averaged slightly less than eight hours of sleep each night.
* for fourteen nights they were allowed to sleep for eight and a half hours, and
* for fourteen nights they were allowed to sleep only five and a half hours
* no exercise was permitted, and
* junk food was provided
During the two weeks of being sleep deprived, the volunteers had higher blood sugar levels and showed less sensitivity to insulin.
Another study at the same institution found similar results in younger, leaner volunteers. Nine people between the ages of 21 and 30 were allowed to sleep for eight and half hours for three nights in the lab. When the subjects went into deep sleep, sound was used to make them sleep more lightly. A glucose tolerance test was given and blood insulin levels were measured. It was found that sensitivity to insulin decreased by 25 per cent. In eight of the subjects, insulin production did not increase, causing their blood sugars to rise by 23 per cent.
Sleep apnea, or stoppage of breathing for 10 seconds or more during sleep, is common among diabetics. About 40% of men with type 2 diabetes also suffer sleep apnea, and that number goes up to 61 per cent for men over 65.
Lack of sleep or at least deep sleep, may cause imbalances in substances like catecholamines and the hormone cortisol in your body. Catecholamines and cortisol prepare your body for the ‘fight or flight’ response, and one way they do this is by raising the blood sugar level. This is one possible mechanism for a connection between lack of quality sleep and type 2 diabetes.
Like type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea is a disorder that people who have it, often don’t recognize.
Symptoms include:
* tiredness
* waking up tired
* lack of energy
* headaches, and
* falling asleep without trying to, such as when reading or watching television.
A lack of quality sleep places you at an increased risk of several health problems. If you are type 2 diabetic it will make weight loss and control of your blood sugar levels much more difficult. Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis makes your body less sensitive to insulin which puts you at an increased risk of weight gain.
