on PinterestA recent study shows that getting between 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep may help lower your risk of diabetes.
on PinterestA recent study shows that getting between 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep may help lower your risk of diabetes. Image Credit: Artem Zhushman/Stocksy
- A recent study suggested that 7 hours and 18 minutes of sleep may be the optimal amount to reduce the risk of insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
- The study noted that catching up on sleep on the weekend may actually increase the risk of impaired glucose metabolism.
- Sleep, along with other lifestyle changes, can greatly reduce your risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
There is a long-standing relationship between type 2 diabetes and sleep. Type 2 diabetes can disrupt your sleep, while certain sleep disorders can increase your risk of developing it.
“There are many benefits to getting adequate sleep. These include better cognitive function, emotional well-being, immune function, weight management, athletic performance, and even longevity,” David Cutler, MD, board certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, who was not involved in the study, told Healthline.
“Improved metabolic function and a lower risk of diabetes is also dependent on getting the right amount of sleep.”
A recent study published in the open-access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care suggests that 7 hours and 18 minutes may be the “sweet spot” for reducing your risk of insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond properly to insulin, leading to a buildup of glucose in your blood. This is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
“Importantly, there appears to be a bidirectional relationship between sleep and metabolism. For instance, poor glycemic status itself has been linked to a higher likelihood of both short and extended sleep durations, as well as sleep disorders,” the researchers of the recent study said.
“This creates a potential vicious cycle wherein metabolic dysregulation disrupts normal sleep patterns, and the resultant abnormal sleep (including extended duration) further aggravates metabolic health.”
About 7.5 hours of sleep may prevent insulin resistance
The study included 23,475 participants, ages 20 to 80, from serial waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2009 and 2023. Of these, 10,817 had data available on weekend sleep duration.
The researchers explain that the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) is considered a reliable substitute for insulin resistance.
eGDR is a measure of insulin sensitivity. The higher the eGDR, the lower the risk.
The study’s researchers set out to investigate the association between weekday sleep duration and eGDR, as well as the moderating effects of weekend catch-up sleep.
The researchers categorized weekend sleep as:
- none
- up to 1 hour
- 1 to 2 hours
- more than 2 hours
They calculated the eGDR using a formula that involved:
- waist circumference
- glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
- hypertension status
The average eGDR was 8.23. Individuals slept for an average of 7 hours and 30 minutes on weekdays. A little over 48% of participants reported catching up on sleep on the weekend. They slept for an average of 8 hours during this time.
Analysis of the data showed
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