Get Your Sleep to Help Prevent Diabetes: 
Research Shows Inadequate Sleep May Raise Diabetes Risk Factors
 
Source: American Diabetes Association 
Publication date: 2001-06-26


Philadelphia, PA (June 25, 2001) -- New evidence that inadequate 
sleep may prompt development of insulin- resistance, a well-known 
risk factor for diabetes, was  reported here today at the American 
Diabetes Association's  61st Annual Scientific Sessions.  

“We have shown that failure to get the slightly more than eight  
hours sleep per night that clinical experts recommend may contribute 
to the rising incidence of diabetes,” said Bryce A.  Mander, 
a research assistant in the Endocrinology Section of the Department 
of Medicine at the University of Chicago, in a  recent interview. 
The research was done in the laboratory of well-known sleep 
researcher, Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., a  professor of medicine at 
the University.  

“When you chronically get inadequate sleep, you are not merely 
developing a sleep debt but also disrupting other body functions,” 
explained Mr. Mander. “Such endemic sleep loss  is widely seen 
in industrialized countries and has now been shown to decrease 
the body’s sensitivity to its own insulin.”  

Approximately 16 million Americans have diabetes, a group of 
serious diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels  
that result from defects in the body's ability to produce 
and/or  use insulin. Another 20 to 30 million have impaired 
glucose  tolerance, a potentially pre-diabetic condition that 
results from  poor insulin sensitivity. Diabetes can lead to 
severely  debilitating or fatal complications, such as blindness, 
kidney  disease, heart disease and amputations. It is the sixth 
leading  cause of death by disease in the U.S.  

Sleep Research  

The sleep research was undertaken to explore the hypothesis  
that one of the many functions of sleep is to help assure  
normal metabolism of sugar. This is a special concern as people 
in industrialized societies drive themselves for high work 
performance, progressively curtailing their sleep  duration.  
The sleep researchers studied 27 healthy, non-obese adults,  
aged 23 to 42 years; 14 were “normal” sleepers, whose  average 
weekday sleep duration was 7.5 to 8.5 hours, while  13 were 
chronic “short” sleepers, whose average weekday  sleep duration 
was under 6.5 hours. Their sleep patterns had  been stable for 
at least six months. The two groups were matched for gender and 
ethnic distribution, exercise habits, and diabetic family history.  

The participants wore a wrist activity monitor for eight consecutive 
nights and, on the last two, recorded their sleep  at home using 
an ambulatory recording system. Over the  course of the study, 
the short sleepers averaged 5 hours and 16 minutes per night, 
while the normal sleepers averaged  three minutes under 8 hours 
of sleep per night.  

On the final day of the study, the participants were admitted to 
the Clinical Research Center and, after an overnight fast,  
underwent an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT).  
“Insulin sensitivity in the short sleepers was almost 40% lower  
than in the normal sleepers,” reported Mr. Mander. “Our research 
demonstrates that chronic sleep curtailment in otherwise healthy, 
young adults impairs the ability of insulin to do its job 
properly.” Such insulin resistance has been  implicated in the 
development of the metabolic syndrome,  which is a constellation 
of problems, including diabetes,  hypertension, abnormal lipid 
levels, and obesity. Related  research at the University of 
Chicago has shown that, even  with an excellent diet and regular 
exercise, those who don’t  sleep enough are at greater risk for 
weight gain.  

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading  
voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research,  
information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association  
has offices in every region of the country, providing services  
to more than 800 communities.  
Publication date: 2001-06-26
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