A troubled sleep may be associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes

Trouble sleeping? You could be at risk of type 2 diabetes.

In the first study, scientists from the University of South Australia show that troubled sleep may be associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Hence, scientists urge people to prioritize a good night’s sleep.

Scientists found that those who had problems sleeping were often more likely to have inflammatory markers, high cholesterol, and body weight, all of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

More than 1000 Australian adults* with a median age of 44.8 years were evaluated for the study. Self-reported difficulty sleeping, duration, timing, efficiency, and day-to-day variations in sleep length were all factors that scientists looked at.

UniSA researcher Dr. Lisa Matricciani says different aspects of sleep are associated with risk factors for diabetes.

“Everyone knows that sleep is important. But when we think about sleep, we mainly focus on how many hours of sleep we get when we should also look at our sleep experience as a whole.”

“How soundly we sleep, when we go to bed and get up, and how regular our sleep habits are, maybe just as important as sleep duration.”

“In this study, we examined the association of different aspects of sleep and risk factors for diabetes and found a connection between those who had a troubled sleep and those who were at risk of type 2 diabetes.”

“People who reported having trouble sleeping were also more likely to have a higher body mass index, as well as blood markers of cholesterol and inflammation.”

“When it comes down to the crunch, we must prioritize our sleep to help stay in good health. More research is needed, but as this study shows, it’s important to think about sleep as a whole, not just as one aspect.”

Journal Reference:

  1. Lisa Matricciani, Catherine Paquet, et al. Multidimensional Sleep and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes: Examining Self-Report and Objective Dimensions of Sleep. The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care. DOI: 10.1177/26350106221137896

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