The Cleveland Clinical Journal of Medicine in August 2011 published a article to allow readers to evaluate the evidence linking sleep loss to poor glucose control and type 2 diabetes.
Sixteen studies were quoted, all linking obstructive sleep apnea to altered glucose metabolism and diabetes. It has been noted over time that there is a strong link between OSA and type 2 diabetes. OSA impacts on the quality of sleep, many OSA patients are sleep deprived.
Sleep and Type 2 Diabetes Research
The article noted that sleep loss and sleep disturbances have become very common in our society and so have obesity and type 2 diabetes.
It also noted that in epidemiologic studies, people who were reported sleeping less were at a higher risk of diabetes.
In laboratory studies short-term sleep deprivation caused measurable changes in glucose metabolism, hormone levels, autonomic nervous system activity, and other variables, which are plausible mechanisms by which loss of sleep could contribute to diabetes.
The recommendation to doctors and clinicians is as follows:
“Taken together, the current evidence suggests that strategies to improve the duration and the quality of sleep should be considered as a potential intervention to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus in at-risk populations. While further studies are needed to better elucidate the mechanisms of the relationship between sleep loss and diabetes risk and to determine if extending sleep and treat- ing obstructive sleep apnea decreases the risk of diabetes, we urge clinicians to recommend at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night as a goal in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Additionally, clinicians should systematically evaluate the risk of obstructive sleep apnea in their patients who have type 2 diabetes melli- tus and the metabolic syndrome, and converse- ly, should assess for diabetes in patients with known obstructive sleep apnea.”
