Don’t Let Your Lack of Sleep Catch up to Diabetes

Sleep apnea (AP-ne-ah) is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.

Sleep apnea can affect diabetes control in many ways. Struggling for air may put your body into fight-or-flight mode, releasing stress hormones that can raise blood glucose levels. If you're tired, you won't want to take that walk around the block after lunch. While you're at work, you might keep snacking to stay awake.

According to a recent study performed by the University of Tokyo at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, researchers found that the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes increased by 56 per cent in those who were extremely tired during the day.

Sleep has a major role to play for diabetic patients. There are some hormones in our body that get affected due to sleep disturbance. A sustained lack of sleep spikes the blood levels of fatty acids in our body, which lowers the ability of insulin to regulate blood sugar. On the other hand, counter regulatory hormones like cortisol, adrenaline etc. increase and in turn also increase the blood sugar level.

 Some studies have pegged India as the diabetes capital of the world and it is said that by 2030 the number of diabetics in India will grow to 100 million. Nearly half of diabetics suffer from undiagnosed sleep disorders that hamper their glucose management. The estimation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in patients with diabetes is 30-40%. Diabetes and sleep apnea have a bi-directional association. These disorders often coexist because of the presence of shared risk factors such as obesity and can lead to serious consequences like cardiovascular morbidity or mortality.

 OSA is often the culprit when an obese individual with diabetes struggles with glucose control. Diagnosis and treatment of OSA in a diabetic individual can improve the glucose control. 

 Recently the world celebrated “World Diabetes Day 2015” and the message spread was “healthy eating as a key factor in the fight against diabetes and a cornerstone of health and sustainable development.” Since both OSA and diabetics patients struggle with weight loss, healthy eating and regular exercise are indispensable.