Diabetes is a loss of insulin function in the body that results in a raised volume of blood glucose. Although, people with diabetes are prone to sleep difficulties, a healthy sleep has an effect in their diabetes control. We’ve pointed out below, some ways by which sleep can affect diabetics:
1. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder with infrequent or shallow breathing while you are asleep. You tend to have breakages in your breathing as it would repeatedly stop and start at intervals.
It results in excess amounts of carbon dioxide and less oxygen in the blood, and while you struggle for air, your body tends to release stress hormones that are capable of raising your blood glucose levels.
To treat it, you can go through the Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) treatment which is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. By so doing, the insulin resistance in your body gets reduced and there will also be a stable blood glucose level.
2. You need to sleep well
Many of us encounter a lot of struggles in our everyday life and lots of times, we postpone our healthy sleep till weekends due to lack of time and the number of work lying before us; hence, having inadequate sleep.
On the other hand, some of us spend a larger part of our day, sleeping. We are either really exhausted or simply so unoccupied to the point that all we do is sleep.
Too much or too little sleep has an effect on blood glucose levels and according to researchers, the average range of hours to be spent sleeping is a minimum of 6.5 hours and maximum of 7.4 hours. There could be exceptions but there’s a need to maintain a moderate range of sleeping hours.
People with little sleep have a higher tendency of developing diabetes than those with more. Ensure you eat effectively through the day, for a healthier sleep at night.
3. Sleep loss and weight gain
Loss of sleep has been found to have a profound impact on weight gain which in turn is a major predisposing factor for diabetes.
Conclusion
Sleep is one of the many ways to keep a healthy life. Whether you are diabetic or not, your body needs moderate and healthy sleep daily.