- Everything You Need to Know About Breast Density, From the Experts
- First Doses of Mpox Vaccine Reach Africa, But Many More Are Needed
- Seeing Through: Scientists Use Food Dye to Render Mouse Skin Transparent
- Gun Deaths to Children and Teens Have Risen in Almost All States
- Too Much Light at Night Linked to Higher Alzheimer’s Risk
- Almost 1 in 4 U.S. Adults Under 40 Have High Blood Pressure
- Exposure to PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Pregnancy Could Boost Long-Term Obesity Risk
- Cuffs on At-Home Blood Pressure Monitors Don’t Fit Some Patients
- Brain’s Wiring May Trigger Depression in Some People
- Saltwater Drops in Nose Could Shorten Kids’ Colds
Irregular Sleep Could Raise Your Odds for Diabetes
![](https://ladylively.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AdobeStock_353079201 (1)-300x336.jpeg)
WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2024 (HeathDay News) — Sleeping long hours one night but only a few hours the next can be unhealthy, with a new study finding “irregular” sleep patterns could be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
The results “underscore the importance of consistent sleep patterns as a strategy to reduce type 2 diabetes,” said study lead author Sina Kianersi. He’s a research fellow in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
The new study involved sleep and health data on more than 84,000 people enrolled in the ongoing UK Biobank Study. The Britons in the study averaged 62 years of age and none had diabetes as the study began.
For seven consecutive nights, the participants wore an accelerometer — a watch-like device that monitors movement while in bed.
The researchers also tracked whether or not people developed type 2 diabetes over the next 7.5 years.
After adjusting for a bunch of possible confounding factors, Kianersi’s team found a clear association between irregular sleep patterns and a heightened risk for type 2 diabetes.
“Irregular” sleep was defined as sleep duration that changed by an average of 60 minutes or more between nights.
Folks with an irregular sleep pattern were 34% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to people whose nightly sleep didn’t vary as much.
How might fluctuating sleep duration encourage diabetes?
The study couldn’t answer that question, but the Boston team theorize that “circadian disruption and sleep disturbances” could play a role.
The study was published July 17 in Diabetes Care.
More information
The Sleep Foundation has more on sleep and diabetes.
SOURCE: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, news release, July 17, 2024
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.