Lack of Sleep Causes Diabetes; Link Found Between Type Two Diabetes and Insomnia

Research is providing evidence that lack of sleep causes diabetes. During those periods of my life when sleep came hard I always consoled myself with the thought that it probably wasn't doing me any harm; this news that lack of sleep causes diabetes comes as a surprise. I also feel bad about the number of times that I told people that lack of sleep wasn't going to kill them; maybe I was wrong? Perhaps insomnia can really cause some lasting damage and shorten a person's life.

The University of Buffalo has conducted research and indicates that those people who sleep less than six hours a night are at greater risk of type-two diabetes. This type-two diabetes is also known as adult onset diabetes because this version of the condition most often develops in adulthood. It is believed that hormonal changes associated with too little sleep are the cause of the problem. In the study the researchers followed a group of people over six years. Those who slept less than six hours a night were almost five times more likely to have impaired fasting glucose levels; this is believed to be a precursor for diabetes. These results back up previous research by the University of Chicago and elsewhere which indicates a link between insomnia and type two diabetes. Their research demonstrated that lack of sleep led to a situation resembling insulin resistance where the body failed to properly use insulin; this is also what happens with type two diabetes.

The claim that lack of sleep causes diabetes seems fairly convincing, but researchers point out that it is not the full story. Things like obesity and a family history of the condition seem to be far greater indicators of the possibility of developing type two diabetes. Still, it would seem to add evidence to the claim that we need a full eight hours sleep every night. It also makes exercise seem even more important because this has been shown to not only reduce obesity, but also to lead to improved sleep at nighttime. I would also be interested to know what type of implications this research has for those people who work on night shifts.

Sources

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1161281/Diabetes-risk-soars-lack-sleep.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_2_160/ai_77049898/

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/katharine-davis/lack_of_sleep_linked_to_poor_diabetes_control/