3 min readNew DelhiApr 25, 2024 06:08 AM IST
First published on: Apr 24, 2024 at 01:58 PM IST
Considering that most Indians are prone to developing diabetes, it is imperative that we have six to eight hours of sleep daily. Even if you exercise and have the right kind of diet, without sleep, you would still be at a higher risk of developing diabetes.
In fact, latest research, which analysed data of 2,47,867 adults from the UK Biobank, following their health outcomes for more than a decade, confirmed what we have been studying for many years. It found that when people slept for less than six hours a day, their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes increased compared to people who sleep normally. Those sleeping for five hours were at a 16 per cent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while those sleeping between three and four hours were at a 41 per cent higher risk than those sleeping for eight hours.
THE LINK BETWEEN SLEEP AND DIABETES
When we sleep less, the counter-regulatory hormones in our bodies are activated. That’s because the body feels it is not resting and is under stress, so it releases stress hormones. Now these interfere with insulin action. The body releases lesser insulin even after you eat and cannot process sugars the way it is meant to. So the unutilised glucose stays in your bloodstream, which increases your risk of developing diabetes and gradually impacts the heart as well.
Sleep deprivation stimulates your hunger hormone ghrelin while decreasing the satiety hormone leptin. That’s why late sleepers are likely to snack at midnight, which raises their blood pressure and puts them at a risk of obesity, another risk factor of diabetes. Poor sleep can take a long-term psychological toll on people with diabetes. They may have a faster rate of cognitive decline. Ultimately, when the circadian rhythm is affected, it can produce adverse metabolic effects.
WHAT ABOUT TIMING OF GOING TO BED?
In our own Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, 2021, we found that the timing of sleep also mattered. We considered the ideal bedtime to be between 10 pm and midnight. Those who slept beyond that, say between 1 am and 3 am, had a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and increased mortality.
Our findings had also shown that people who sleep less than six hours a night not only had a higher risk of developing diabetes but also an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality. We calculated the mortality rates of people who slept for different durations and found the lowest mortality was among those who slept between six to eight hours a day. Not unexpectedly, people who slept less than six hours had a higher incidence of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.
More than eight hours of sleep also led to an increase in mortality. So we had a U-shaped curve where the bottom of the U indicated those who slept between six and eight hours. And the trend held as we tracked 150,000 people for 15 years.
Oversleepers usually have underlying health issues like hypothyroidism and some debilitating diseases. It may also be that they are markedly obese or their sleep quality is not good. Too little or too much sleep are both detrimental.
Our findings had also shown that people who sleep less than six hours a night not only had a higher risk of developing diabetes but also an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality. 
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