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A study found that people who sleep for just three to five hours a day may be more likely to acquire type 2 diabetes.
The study, which was written up in the journal JAMA Network Open, also demonstrates that eating a balanced diet cannot make up for long-term sleep deprivation.
“I generally recommend prioritising sleep, although I understand it’s not always possible, especially as a parent of four teenagers,” said Christian Benedict, Associate Professor at Uppsala University and lead researcher behind the study.
The group looked into the link between lack of sleep and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes type 2 impairs the body’s capacity to metabolize sugar, or glucose, which makes it more difficult for the body to absorb insulin and raises blood sugar levels.
More than 462 million individuals worldwide suffer with chronic illness, according to a 2020 study. It can lead to major harm over time, especially to blood vessels and nerves, and is becoming a more widespread global public health issue. “Previous research has shown that repeated short daily rest increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, while healthy dietary habits such as regularly eating fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk,” said Diana Noga, a sleep researcher at the Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences at Uppsala University.
“However, it has remained unclear whether people who sleep too little can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by eating healthily,” Noga said in a statement.
After monitoring the subjects for more than a decade, they discovered that three to five hours of sleep per night was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Healthy eating practices, on the other hand, reduced the chance of getting the illness; nonetheless, type 2 diabetes was still more common in those who followed a healthy diet but slept fewer than six hours a day.
“Our results are the first to question whether a healthy diet can compensate for lack of sleep in terms of the risk of type 2 diabetes. They should not cause concern, but instead be seen as a reminder that sleep plays an important role in health,” Benedict added.
Source:IE
