Harvard Doctors Say Irregular Sleep Patterns Linked To Diabetes

Here is a wake-up call we all need! Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for good health. If the duration of your nightly sleep varies significantly, you might be boosting your diabetes risk, suggests a Harvard-led study. 
If you were a child in the earlier century, when street and home lighting was either a rarity (a privilege few could afford) or not available, you would have slept all the dark hours of the night. But artificial lighting has changed our sleeping habits and work patterns and majorly upset the 24 hour cycle of sleep and wakefulness.
<h2>7-Year Study On Sleep And Diabetes Risk</h2>
Researchers at Harvard <a title=”asked more than 84,000 diabetes-free people” href=”https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/harvard-researchers-irregular-sleep-patterns-linked-to-diabetes” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>asked more than 84,000 diabetes-free people</a> (average age 62) to wear activity trackers for a week, and then followed their health for more than seven years. They were shocked to find that people whose sleep duration varied the most (fluctuating by more than an hour from night to night) had a 34% higher risk for diabetes, compared with people whose sleep duration was more consistent. 
This association between sleep deprivations (or the lack thereof) was strongest among those who slept more than eight hours per night, on average.
”However, the association was also present among those who slept seven to eight hours per night. This suggests that even for those who get enough sleep each night, it was important to maintain a consistent sleep schedul,” says Sina Kianersi, the lead author and a researcher at Harvard affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. 
The study doesn’t prove that inconsistent sleep causes diabetes, but other studies have tied varying sleep duration to diabetes risk factors, including a big belly and high blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood).
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<h2>Ayurveda Agrees</h2>
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of well-being, also lays stress on sleep hygiene. Ayurvedachari Dr Archana Tonde (BAMS, Nashik) says Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder triggered by the body’s metabolic disruption and inability to digest/absorb sugar efficiently. To keep the digestive system in perfect running condition, the body requires enough sleep as much as it requires enough exercise. “The three pillars of good health are food, sleep, and procreation activity. A good night’s sleep – uninterrupted and stressfree – ensures a long, healthy life. One must sleep only during night and avoid the daytime slump,” Dr Tonde says.
Dr Rajanshu Tiwari, Consultant Diabetologist and Physician, Chembur, Mumbai, also agrees that sleep deprivation or rather the absence of sound sleep can trigger diabetes as it is a type of body stress. Dr Tiwari, who completed his Fellowship in Diabetology (PGPD, USA) and PGD in Clinical Endocrinology (RCP, London) after his MBBS, has treated thousands of diabetes patients.
”Any kind of body stress can accentuate or worsen blood sugar levels in diabetes and pre-diabetes patients. Yes, sleep plays a major role in the same. Lack of sleep and disturbed sleep increases chances of uncontrolled diabetes,” he says.
According to Dr Tiwari, sleep disorders also impact one’s health by increasing chances of Metabolic Syndrome and indirectly affecting blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. “Diabetes is a condition not to be feared but to be tamed. A well-controlled diabetic is as good as a non-diabetic person. It is not about living a long life but the real aim should be a better quality of life and working on your active lifestyle and diet intake, makes it much more productive and health in the real sense,” he says, while stressing on the importance of a disciplined and regular sleep schedule.
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<h2>What Constitutes Healthy Sleep?</h2>
Healthy sleep requires:
<ul>
<li>Adequate sleep duration </li>
<li>Appropriate timing</li>
<li>Regularity</li>
<li>The absence of sleep disorders </li>
<li>Good quality sleep</li>
</ul>
As per a <a title=”study” href=”https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.9476″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>study</a> published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, while individual sleep needs vary, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) recommend that the average adult should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
The US National Sleep Foundation (NSF) provides similar consensus recommendations of 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults and 7 to 8 hours of sleep for older adults. 
The writer is an independent journalist.