Less sleep increases risk of diabetes, a new study reveals

A new study showed that less sleep about 6 hours per night increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in people. Researchers conducted this study after analyzing data from the UK Biobank.

Biobank is a biomedical database that contains information from approximately 250,000 persons. Researchers investigated whether a healthy diet lessens the effect of less sleep on a person’s risk of developing diabetes. The purpose was to understand the relationship between total sleep duration and type 2 diabetes.

Less sleep affects hormones that regulate blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity and increases diabetes risk. So, it is significant to prioritize good sleep for overall health.

Researchers asked each participant about how much sleep they get each day. They classified short sleep duration into three categories: mild (six hours), moderate (five hours), and extreme (three to four hours). However, they considered seven to eight hours average and regular sleep hours.

The study found that healthy eating has a link to a lower overall risk of diabetes. However, the risk of type 2 diabetes was higher for people who got less than six hours of sleep per night compared to those who got enough sleep.

Researchers found less than five hours of sleep was linked to a 16% higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes. The risk was 4% higher for people who slept three to four hours than people who slept seven to eight hours.

Click here to read the updates on the Russian Sleep Experiment that shows horror effects without sleep

Other things that might affect the link between the amount of sleep you get and the chance of diabetes are the quality of your sleep and your lifestyle.

The study’s author points out that getting enough sleep is not always achievable. Hence, they advise engaging in high-intensity interval training (a type of exercise) during the day.

It can help lower the chance of diabetes from not getting enough sleep. It ultimately lowers the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes.