A chronic lack of sleep may cause far more serious problems than a tendency to nod off the next day. People who do not get enough sleep on a regular basis may become less sensitive to insulin which, over time, can raise the risk of
In fact, Dr. Eve Van Cauter at the University of Chicago found that chronic sleep deprivation -- 6.5 hours or less of sleep a night -- had the same effect on insulin resistance as aging.
Just like poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress and aging, sleep loss is a risk factor (for type 2 diabetes). Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body loses its ability to respond to insulin, the body's key blood sugar-regulating hormone. This insulin resistance causes blood sugar levels to rise, which in turn can increase the risk for a number of serious medical complications including kidney damage, heart disease, blindness and lower limb amputations.
According to the study healthy adults who averaged 316 minutes of sleep a night -- about 5.2 hours -- over 8 consecutive nights secreted 50% more insulin than their more rested counterparts who averaged 477 minutes of sleep a night, or about 8 hours.
As a result, "short sleepers'' were 40% less sensitive to insulin.
The researchers suggest that sleep deprivation, which is becoming commonplace in industrialized countries, may play a role in the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes. A poll by the National Sleep Foundation found a steady decline in the number of hours Americans sleep each night. In 1975, the average American slept 7.5 hours, down from 9 hours in 1910. Today, adults sleep about 7 hours a night.
American Diabetes Association's Annual Meeting June 25, 2001 Philadelphia
I consider this a landmark piece of information. Somehow I was completely unaware of the profound relationship between sleep deprivation and insulin sensitivity even though I previously posted this information nearly two years ago when these authors published similar findings in Lancet.
We have an epidemic of people who are not sleeping enough. The average American is only getting 7 hours of sleep and I am afraid I fall right in with the average in this department.
Part of the problem is that I currently am doing two full time jobs, running my practice and editing this newsletter. One of my goals is to change this, so I can start getting a much healthier 8 hours of sleep.
However my goal of 8 hours is still an hour short of the average amount of sleep per night than we used to get less than 100 years ago. Folks, people were sleeping NINE hours per night prior to the invention of the electric light bulb which has facilitated this and allowed us to transform night into day. While there surely are many benefits, most do not realize the huge risk this is to our health if we constantly neglect our sleeping needs. If you are interested in more information on this fascinating subject you can look into Lights Out : Sleep, Sugar, and Survival by T. S. Wiley, Bent Formby I just picked up the book earlier this week, but my brief review suggests it is a worthwhile read and I am anxious to read it more carefully. Nearly one third of the book is references to the peer reviewed literature, so it is very carefully documented. The authors believe that it is light, not what we eat or whether we exercise, that causes obesity -- and diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
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