Sleep quality is one of the 8 essential factors for cardiovascular health, according to the new AHA guidelines. But could it be one of the key factors for metabolic health as well, and therefore influence diabetes risk? Surely. Previous studies have shown that poor sleep quality, including too much sleep, increases the risk of diabetes by disrupting glycemic control and insulin resistance, but beyond the circadian rhythm, the mechanisms were not fully understood.
And study conducted by the University of California – Berkeley, published in Cell Reports Medicinelooks like a quality sleep, measured by the brain waves associated with deep sleepwithout the movement of the eyeballs (non-rapid eye movement -non-NREM), determines the improvement of glycemic control the next day, by decreasing insulin resistance.
According to experts, the results are particularly important for the control of type 2 diabetes because sleep is a modifiable risk factor, and interventions on this factor can translate into direct, non-invasive therapeutic benefits.
“These synchronized brain waves act like a finger that gives a push to the first domino piece to initiate a related chain reaction from the brain to the heart and then outward, altering blood sugar regulation. In particular, the combination of two types of brain waves, called sleep spindles (occurring in the first phase of sleep) and slow waves, predicts an increase in the body’s sensitivity to the hormone called insulin, which consequently beneficially reduces the level of blood glucose”, explained Dr. Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author, in the press release.
Furthermore, the results could help establish the quality of the previous night’s sleep as a marker of the next day’s blood sugar levels and a person’s need for insulin. Sleep quality monitoring is now facilitated by wearable devices such as fitness bracelets.
More than 600 people were examined in the study to assess the relationship between the two brain waves and the prediction of glycemic control the next day.
“During night sleep, in the static electrical activity of the brain, connected associations are formed so that the brain waves from deep sleep transmit a recalibration and calming of the nervous system the following day. This associated calming effect is then linked to a reactivation of the body’s sensitivity to insulin, leading to more effective blood sugar control the following day,” said Prof Walker.
Read also:
2023-08-12 16:32:47
#STUDY #Deep #sleep #night #improves #nextday #glycemic #control #lowers #risk #type #diabetes #Watch #Report
