From high fasting blood sugar of 162 mg/dL, he got it down to 118 mg/dL: ‘I slept for 8 hours daily without fail’

He had not made major changes to his food or physical activity. But he did something small that made a big difference — he fixed his sleep schedule, something which he didn’t follow initially though we had insisted he sleep no less than eight hours.

What was Suresh’s old routine like?

He would stay up late, sometimes till 1:30 am or 2 am. “I’d either be scrolling on my phone, watching something on TV, or just lying awake. Then I’d wake up late, around 8:30 am or 9 am, feeling tired. My sugar levels were always on the higher side, and I thought the problem was just my eating habits,” he told me.

When his readings didn’t go down with diet and exercise, he decided to amend his sleep routine.
He tried sleeping earlier — around 10:30 pm — and made a rule to keep his phone in the other room after 10 pm. Instead he kept a book on his bedside table, reading a few pages diligently before bedtime. This, he said, helped him get a healthy seven to eight hours of proper sleep. Once he got his sleep schedule in order, he didn’t get any late-night cravings anymore or trudge to the fridge at midnight. “I wake up feeling fresh, and I’m even more consistent with my morning walk,” he told me.

I often tell my patients that sleep is the third pillar of lifestyle management along with diet and exercise, and perhaps, is the reason why the other two can succeed. Poor sleep increases stress hormones like cortisol, which can raise blood sugar levels. When you sleep well, your body uses insulin more efficiently. Sleep also affects your appetite-regulating hormones ghrelin (induces hunger) and leptin (signals fullness to the brain). Poor sleep can make you feel hungrier than usual and crave unhealthy food. Sleep deprivation can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which regulates various bodily functions, including blood sugar metabolism.

What Suresh had done was not just improve his sleep pattern but his entire routine. “I have more energy during the day and I’m in a better mood. Even my family has noticed the change,” he said.

Sleep is often overlooked in diabetes management but it plays a key role in blood sugar control, energy levels and overall health. So do not negotiate sleep but make it a mandatory slot in your everyday calendar.

(Dr Mohan is chairman of Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai)