A poor night’s sleep not only affects your mood and energy level, but also many health processes are profoundly influenced by it. A new study recently detected an interesting link between sleep habits and blood sugar levels. This opens up possibilities for diabetes prevention through better sleeping habits.
Sleeping too little or lousy makes itself felt in blood sugar levels the next morning. A research team (Lund University Sweden) examined healthy adults without diabetes for a possible association between their sleep duration, the quality of sleep and the timing of their bedtime and their blood glucose levels after a breakfast containing a small or large amount of carbohydrates. In participants who had slept for a long time and whose sleep quality was okay, the blood sugar level rose much less after a breakfast containing both carbohydrates and fats than when the same subjects got a shorter night’s sleep. In the latter case, their glycemia values rose sharply after the same breakfast. At the same time, a correlation was also found with the time at which they went under the wool. Bottom Line: Going to bed earlier, sleeping longer, and adequate sleep quality were all linked to lower blood sugar levels after breakfast the next morning.
Prediabetes
Still, the researchers caution against extrapolating this data to people with diabetes. It is possible that the impact of sleep on the glycemia after breakfast is different for them because they often already take medication to regulate that glucose level. That needs to be further investigated. An older British study from 2021 did suggest that the risk of death is highest among diabetics with sleeping problems.
The study does provide useful insights for those who are in the risk zone and suffer from so-called prediabetes. Focusing on better sleep quality could make a difference for them and prevent them from evolving into diabetes. It had previously been shown that people with prediabetes can improve their blood values through sufficient exercise, a healthy diet and weight loss.
belly fat
Obesity, especially belly fat, appears to be a trigger for diabetes. That’s because this visceral fat is an active organ that releases plenty of pro-inflammatory hormones. With excessive fat storage around the abdomen, these hormones cause insulin resistance. Your own insulin then becomes less efficient, so that you can absorb less sugar into the cells of your muscles and organs. As a result, your blood sugar level remains too high. As soon as that belly fat dissolves, the diabetes often disappears, and that in a very short time.
Physical exercise makes insulin more efficient. This is due to a combination of the blood sugar consumption by the muscles you put to work and an improvement in the insulin sensitivity of all kinds of organs. All forms of movement have an effect, both strength and endurance training.
Bron: Diabetology
Sleeping too little or lousy makes itself felt in blood sugar levels the next morning. A research team (Lund University Sweden) examined healthy adults without diabetes for a possible association between their sleep duration, the quality of sleep and the timing of their bedtime and their blood glucose levels after a breakfast containing a small or large amount of carbohydrates. In participants who had slept for a long time and whose sleep quality was okay, the blood sugar level rose much less after a breakfast containing both carbohydrates and fats than when the same subjects got a shorter night’s sleep. In the latter case, their glycemia values rose sharply after the same breakfast. At the same time, a correlation was also found with the time at which they went under the wool. Bottom line: Going to bed earlier, sleeping longer and getting adequate sleep quality were all linked to lower blood sugar levels after breakfast the next morning. Still, the researchers caution against extrapolating this data to people with diabetes. It is possible that the impact of sleep on the glycemia after breakfast is different for them because they often already take medication to regulate that glucose level. That needs to be further investigated. An older British study from 2021 already suggested that the risk of death is highest among diabetics with sleeping problems. For those who are in the risk zone and suffer from so-called prediabetes, the study does provide useful insights. Focusing on better sleep quality could make a difference for them and prevent them from evolving into diabetes. It had previously been shown that people with prediabetes can improve their blood values through sufficient exercise, a healthy diet and weight loss. Obesity, especially belly fat, appears to be a trigger for diabetes. That’s because this visceral fat is an active organ that releases plenty of pro-inflammatory hormones. With excessive fat storage around the abdomen, these hormones cause insulin resistance. Your own insulin then becomes less efficient, so that you can absorb less sugar into the cells of your muscles and organs. As a result, your blood sugar level remains too high. As soon as that belly fat dissolves, the diabetes often disappears, and that in the very short term. Physical exercise makes the insulin more efficient. This is due to a combination of the blood sugar consumption by the muscles you put to work and an improvement in the insulin sensitivity of all kinds of organs. All forms of movement have an effect, both strength and endurance training. Source: Diabetologia