Lack of sleep may lead to diabetes

Researchers have identified a link between problems with sleeping and diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Epidemiology. Scientists at the University of Warwick have revealed that those who sleep for less than six hours each night are three times more likely to develop a condition that could lead to diabetes and heart disease than those who enjoyed a full sleep of around six to eight hours.
The study involved data from 1,455 participants in the US, where it was found that shorter sleep patterns increased the risk of a pre-diabetic condition called incident-impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG). Those who suffer from IFG cannot regulate glucose very effectively, which means they are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes . The team are looking at a number of ways in which too little sleep could adversely affect glucose metabolism .
Saverio Stranges, lead author of the study, pointed out “We found that short sleep, less than six hours, was associated with a significant, three-fold increased likelihood of developing IFG, compared to people who got an average of six to eight hours sleep a night.”
Professor Francesco Cappuccio, from the University of Warwick, also said “These results are welcome and confirm our early reports that both sleep quantity and quality are strong predictors of the development of type 2 diabetes, strokes and heart attacks .”