Lack of sleep leads to Diabetes

Lack of sleep can contribute to the development of diabetes. There were previous studies. A recent study from Boston confirmed this thesis now.

The researchers led by Professor Orfeu Buxton from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston wanted to find out how lack of sleep and a disturbed circadian rhythm, effects on risk of developing diabetes in night shift workers to fall ill. The scientists have studied 21 subjects nearly six weeks in the hospital and thereby brought their sleeping rhythm targeted mess. First, the participants every night allowed to sleep about ten hours. Then the sleeping hours were reduced to 5.6 hours per day, the study participants should to sleep sometimes at night and sometimes during the day. At the same time has been strictly controlled, what the subjects ate.

The researchers found that the participants after a while has a higher glucose levels in the blood. In some subjects, while sugar levels presented a that a so-called pre-diabetes, a precursor of diabetes characterized. The scientists suspect that the insulin-producing cells are no longer able by the disturbance of the sleep-wake rhythm, enough to produce insulin. Another explanation is that lack of sleep or sleep disorders lead to stress reactions in which, in turn, increases release of insulin. In the long term this increases the insulin resistance and thus favoring the formation or progression of diabetes.

Lack of sleep makes you fat.

Could be observed also that the resting metabolic rate is slowed. The body then consume more calories than normally. This meant that the participants were over one year increased nearly six kilogram of body weight. That lack of sleep leads to weight gain, has long been known. So far, but this was attributed to the increased feeling of hunger. Since food intake was accurately controlled in this study, it was shown that comes to weight gain in lack of sleep when the person concerned no longer than usual to eat. After the subjects had long again slept nine days regularly and adequately, the damage caused by the lack of sleep and disturbed sleep rhythm abnormalities had disappeared.

Insomnia have long been associated with various diseases such as hypertension, heart failure or depression. You get to the bottom and to resolve possible, therefore makes sense not only in terms of daytime sleepiness, but also with regard to various underlying diseases. Those who suffer from sleep disorders, often benefits from moderate powered sports and relaxation exercises. Yoga or meditation can help you achieve an inner balance that is necessary for a restful sleep. For shift workers may be able to help a targeted light therapy to reduce the metabolic consequences. Sleeping pills should always be a last resort and will only be used briefly because they make easy to become dependent and also reduce the depth of sleep.