2024-07-21 08:07:09
A new study has found a strong link between irregular sleep patterns and a 34 percent increased risk of diabetes compared to consistent, stable sleep patterns.
In the study, more than 84,000 people in the UK wore accelerometers – devices like watches that monitor movement – for seven nights. The participants were 62 years old on average and did not have diabetes at the start.
The researchers followed the volunteers for about seven years, tracking their diabetes progression by looking at their medical records. They found that people whose sleep duration varied by more than an hour from day to day had a 34 percent increased risk of developing diabetes.
The association between irregular sleep and diabetes was most pronounced in people who slept longer and had a lower genetic risk of developing the disease. A number of previous studies have claimed that poor sleep is a major risk factor for diabetes, as sleep is important for controlling blood sugar.
“Our findings underscore the importance of consistent and stable sleep patterns as a strategy to reduce the risk of developing diabetes,” said lead author of the new study, Sina Kianersi.
The Kianersi team acknowledges some limitations to their study, including that the 7-day sleep assessment is not enough to be certain that it is the exact sleep pattern for each participant, and that the study volunteers were mostly older, healthy, and white.
Diabetes is among the top ten leading causes of death and disability worldwide.
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2024-07-21 08:07:09