“Why Good Sleep is Crucial for Managing Type 2 Diabetes”

Hossam Al-Shaqoury

Friday, April 28, 2023 09:00 PM

If you have type 2 diabetes, you probably pay attention to what you eat and try to stay physically active. But another important component of managing your condition that you may not always prioritize is sleep. Getting good sleep is an important part of maintaining your health, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. According to everydayhealth.

“Sleep is the time for your body to rest, but a lot of things happen as you move through the stages of sleep throughout the night,” says Josie Bidwill, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi College of Medicine. . While you sleep, your brain stores memories, your muscles repair, your heart rate decreases, and blood pressure decreases, Bidwell says. Lower resting heart rate and blood pressure are especially important if you have type 2 diabetes, since having the condition makes you up to twice as likely to develop heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sleep is also essential for regulating hormones and the hormone insulin

“In general, lack of sleep plays a role in insulin resistance,” says Bidwell, which is when your body has trouble using insulin to move glucose from the blood into the cells. This can lead to high blood sugar. “If you’re struggling with blood glucose control, looking at your sleep and doing what you can to get the recommended 7 hours can be a game-changer,” says Bidwell.

1- Full hours of sleep

In a study of adults with prediabetes or recently diagnosed with — but untreated — type 2 diabetes — sleeping less than five hours or more than eight hours a night was associated with a higher A1C level than those who got a moderate amount of more. . Sleep, and in the journal Diabetes Care. Sleeping less than six hours a night has also been associated with a higher body mass index, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and makes blood sugar levels more difficult to control.

2- Sleeping without dinner

Losing just a few pounds on a sleep-in program can improve blood sugar control and reduce the need for medication, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Besides physiological changes, sleep deprivation also causes people to consume more calories and reduces their ability to make nutritious choices and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This can lead to an increased risk of diabetes and obesity, which in itself is a risk factor for developing diabetes.