As important as diet and exercise... The American Diabetes Association first mentions 'this🤔🤔'

When it comes to preventing and managing diabetes, there is an element just as important as the 'diet' that directly raises blood sugar levels. That is 'sleep.' Just how important is it? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) included 'sleep duration and quality' in the list of management targets for the first time in the '2025 Diabetes Management Standards' released early last month.

 

Today's Diabetes Letter: a two-line summary

1. 'Sleep' is as important as exercise and diet in managing diabetes.

2. With a morning-oriented lifestyle, sleeping soundly for 7 hours causes blood sugar levels to drop sharply.

 

The effect of sleep on blood sugar levels... What is the mechanism behind it?

The ADA announced on the 9th of last month that 'sleep' is an equally important lifestyle factor in diabetes management alongside exercise and diet. It is especially considered key in managing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Professor Kang Seung-geol of Gachon University Gil Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry, who conducts in-depth research on sleep medicine, stated, "When sleep is insufficient or of poor quality, changes occur in the body's carbohydrate and hormone metabolism, making blood sugar control difficult," and "it increases appetite, which can raise blood sugar levels further."

 

If you don't sleep well, our bodies experience increased glucose tolerance, decreased tryptophan levels, and increased cortisol secretion during the night. Glucose tolerance refers to the property of 'inhibiting the absorption of glucose by cells' in the blood. When tolerance increases, more glucose remains in the blood because it is not absorbed by the cells, leading to higher blood sugar levels. Additionally, tryptophan, an essential amino acid, is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin directly influences insulin secretion, which is a hormone that lowers blood sugar. If tryptophan is deficient and serotonin is not properly secreted, problems with insulin secretion can occur, making blood sugar regulation difficult. Cortisol, known as the so-called stress hormone, also interferes with insulin action, raises blood sugar levels, and can lead to diabetes.

 

When the quality of sleep decreases, the 'appetite' for foods that raise blood sugar increases. Professor Kim Nan-hee of the Department of Endocrinology at Godea Ansan Hospital said, "According to research, people who do not sleep well have increased secretion of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone, and conversely, decreased secretion of leptin, a hormone that promotes satiety and suppresses appetite," adding, "It was particularly confirmed that the appetite for high-carbohydrate foods like cake increased."

 

Sleep 7 hours with a morning-oriented lifestyle pattern

Sleep. How should I sleep to sleep 'well'? To reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, one must consider the pattern, quality, and duration of sleep. The ADA has published several research findings, among which the most significant increase in diabetes risk occurred when the sleep pattern was disrupted. An evening-oriented lifestyle pattern, characterized by going to bed late and waking up late, increased the risk of diabetes by 2.5 times compared to a morning-oriented lifestyle pattern, which involves going to bed early and waking up early. Even with sufficient sleep duration, the results were similar. A large-scale study conducted over eight years with 73,809 participants at the University of Ottawa in Canada found that people with irregular sleep and wake times had a 1.4 times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with regular sleep schedules. If sleep is not regular, sleep quality declines. Sleep quality decreases when one frequently wakes up during the night, cannot sleep deeply, or has conditions such as snoring or sleep apnea. The ADA announced that regardless of sleep pattern, poor sleep quality can increase the risk of developing diabetes by up to 84%.

 

Sleep duration is also important. The association states that "based on results from various studies, there is a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and the incidence of type 2 diabetes." The time with the lowest risk of developing diabetes is '7 hours.' A research team from Uppsala University in Sweden tracked 247,867 people over 12.5 years and found that sleeping less than 5 hours daily significantly increased the risk of diabetes. Maintaining healthy eating habits only reduced the risk but did not eliminate it. There are also domestic studies involving Koreans. A joint research team from Korea National University of Transportation and Shinhan University analyzed the sleep patterns and diabetes risk of 2,934 adults without a diabetes diagnosis using data from the 2019-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The results showed that the group sleeping 7 to 7.9 hours had the lowest fasting blood glucose levels and prediabetes rates. Professor Kang Seung-geol stated, "In particular, a lack of sleep has been confirmed to have a causal relationship with diabetes," and added, "While oversleeping over 9 hours has not yet been proven to be causally related, people who sleep a lot may have conditions such as sleep apnea that increase the risk of developing diabetes."

 

Falling asleep vs waking up, bring 'this time' forward first

Sleep does not go as planned. If it is not your usual sleeping time, your mind just remains 'blank'. You need to improve your sleep environment. To establish a new pattern of going to bed early and waking up early, you should first focus on 'waking up time'. Professor Kang Seung-geol says, "Don't worry about sleep duration; even if you go to bed late and sleep less, you should start by waking up at a consistent time while exposing yourself to bright light." He also recommends gradually shifting your bedtime earlier to secure enough sleep. Before sleeping, avoid exposure to electronic devices like TV or smartphones that emit blue light, and create a sleep environment free of noise and light. If you haven't fallen asleep after 20 minutes of trying, it's good to get up, relax your body with activities like meditation in another space, and then return to the bedroom. If you still can't sleep, exercise during the day and avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee. If these efforts still make falling asleep difficult, consult a specialist.

 

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

7 hours with a morning-oriented lifestyle pattern

Sleep deeply and live a healthy life.

Please keep it up♡