Sleep disorders? You may be at risk for type 2 diabetes – Zoo House News

With the start of the holiday season, researchers at the University of South Australia are reminding people to prioritize a good night’s sleep, as new research shows that restless sleep may be linked to risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

In the first study of its kind, researchers found that people who reported trouble sleeping were, on average, more likely to have indicators of poor cardiometabolic health — inflammatory markers, cholesterol, and body weight — that may contribute to type 2 diabetes.

In Australia, almost a million adults have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes affects more than 422 million people worldwide.

UniSA researcher Dr. Lisa Matricciani says different aspects of sleep are linked to risk factors for diabetes.

“Everyone knows that sleep is important. But when we think about sleep, our main focus is how many hours we sleep, although we should also look at our sleep experience as a whole,” says Dr. Matricciani.

“How well we sleep, when we go to bed and wake up, and how regular our sleep patterns are can be just as important as how long we sleep.”

“In this study, we examined the connection between different aspects of sleep and risk factors for diabetes and found an association between people with sleep disorders and people at risk for type 2 diabetes.”

The study looked at more than 1,000 Australian adults* with an average age of 44.8 years. The researchers looked at a range of sleep characteristics: self-reported sleep disturbances, duration, timing, efficiency, and daily variations in sleep duration.

“People who reported trouble sleeping were also more likely to have higher body mass index and blood markers for cholesterol and inflammation,” says Dr. Matricciani.

“When it comes down to it, we know that to remain in good health, we must prioritize our sleep. More research is needed, but as this study shows, it’s important to look at sleep as a whole, not just as one aspect. “

Remarks

*Most participants (87 percent) were mothers. About half of all participants (48 percent) stated that they had never suffered from insomnia.

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Materials provided by the University of South Australia. Note: Content can be edited for style and length.