To Your Health
December, 2023 (Vol. 17, Issue 12) |
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It Only Takes a Little
By Editorial Staff
If you haven't realized how important sleep is to your overall health, you haven't been reading To Your Health for very long, much less witnessing how you feel – for better or worse – depending on how much / how little sleep you get.
The latest research is for women specifically, suggesting that those who get even a little less sleep have an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
How much is "a little less"? Researchers discovered that restricting women's sleep to approximately six hours per night reduced insulin sensitivity and increased plasma insulin (two risk factors for diabetes) compared with women who slept 7-9 hours a night. The changes were seen after only six weeks. The researchers believe, based on their findings, that chronic sleep restriction (which too many women and men experience) could accelerate the process that leads to type 2 diabetes.
Published in Diabetes Care, the study involved a wide age range of women: 20 to 75 years. As such, these findings are applicable to women young and old who want to reduce their diabetes risk – or even help manage it without drugs if they are already suffering from type 2 diabetes.
How many hours do you sleep on an average night? And how do you feel when you wake up – refreshed and rejuvenated, or tired and sluggish? For more information on sleep as it relates to your health and wellness, talk to your doctor.
