A Good Night Sleep for Diabetes, Metabolic Disorders

A new study finds that addressing poor sleep habits could aid the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic disorders.

A team of researchers including investigators from the University of Lubeck in Germany reviewed existing evidence that some metabolic-related issues such as disturbed glucose metabolism and obesity are provoked by loss of sleep. Based on their analysis of this evidence, the authors made recommendations for new targets and strategies to prevent and treat these sleep-related forms of metabolic disease.
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In their review, the authors found that disruption of the body’s natural sleep cycle, as experienced by shift workers, is significantly connected to suffering metabolic health, as well as rates of chronic illness and early death.

Investigators also determined that “aspects of our modern lifestyle are eroding sleep quality,” citing the use of devices at night—such as tablets and portable video games—as contributing factors to poor sleep.

The researchers recommend that sleep education programs and cognitive behavioral therapies promoting improved sleep hygiene may aid those whose lack of sleep is in danger of affecting their health. The authors also note that treatment greatly improves various metabolic factors—including glucose homeostasis, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity—for other specific sleep problems, such as sleep apnea.

In addition, the team suggests improving environmental conditions, such as avoiding noise and light during sleep time, in order to improve sleep quality.

There is a “clear and clinically relevant link between short and/or disturbed sleep and metabolic disease,” says Sebastian M. Schmid, MD, a physician in the department of internal medicine at the University of Lubeck, and lead study author.

“Considering the high prevalence of sleep disturbances and their increasing incidence—which is often due to our 24/7 lifestyle, work/life imbalance, etc.—we should focus more on bad sleep as a potential metabolic risk factor in our patients.”

Before primary care physicians can intervene, however, “we have to identify patients at risk,” says Schmid, noting there are “excellent screening tools” available, such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, for example.

Improving sleep quality can be achieved by lifestyle intervention methods such as reducing stress; creating a dark, quiet sleep environment; controlling bedroom temperature; maintaining regular sleep cycles; eating light dinners; avoiding alcohol consumption at night; and foregoing the use of mobile phones, video games, and computers, adds Schmid.

Clinicians must “be more aware of sleep and sleep disturbances, especially in patients already at risk for metabolic disease,” he says. “Identifying these patients is key to preventing metabolic disease and/or providing excellent medical care.”

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Schmid S, Hallschmid M, et al. The metabolic burden of sleep loss. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 2014.