Lack of sleep may lead to diabetes in adults, say scientists

SLEEPING badly may be one of the underlying causes of adult diabetes, one of the biggest killers in Scotland, a new study has found.

Scientists found that restricting sleep to four hours for just one night could induce insulin resistance, one of the early signs of the disease.

Dr Esther Donga, from Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, who led the research, said: "Sleep duration has shortened considerably in western societies in the past decade and simultaneously there has been an increase in the prevalence of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

"The co-occurring rises in shortened sleep and diabetes prevalence may not be a coincidence. Our findings show a short night of sleep has more profound effects on metabolic regulation than previously appreciated."

Insulin resistance occurs when the vital hormone becomes less able to regulate glucose blood sugar. As a result, blood sugar levels rise, eventually leading to the symptoms of diabetes.

The researchers examined nine healthy volunteers, once after a night of a normal eight hours' sleep, and once after sleeping for four hours. After each night, their insulin sensitivity was measured.

The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, showed that cutting back on sleep reduced insulin sensitivity.

Dr Donga said: "Our data indicate that insulin sensitivity is not fixed in healthy subjects, but depends on the duration of sleep in the preceding night.

"In fact, it is tempting to speculate that the negative effects of multiple nights of shortened sleep on glucose tolerance can be reproduced, at least in part, by just one sleepless night."