Lack of sleep can cause you diabetes. A classic example is the case of call centre employee Komal, who was very careful about her health. When diabetes struck, it came as a shock to her since she didn't have a family history of diabetes and had been working out on the treadmill daily to keep her weight under control. The villain in her case was lack of sleep.
With the change in the nature of work, involving night shifts and a rise in levels of stress, she suffered sleep deprivation. This made her vulnerable to Type-2 diabetes. “Skimping on sleep can increase your chances of getting Type-2 diabetes, a disease once believed to be caused primarily by being overweight. Almost 30% to 35% of Type-2 diabetics have sleep disorders,” said a leading diabetologist. It is essential to get a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day. However, most people hardly manage five hours, piling up a huge sleep debt behind them. Sleep deprivation can affect hormones and metabolism which can trigger diabetes. Lack of sleep eventually leads to impairment of glucose tolerance, which further affects blood sugar levels, leading to diabetes.
“Our lifestyles have undergone a major shift as have our work schedules. Our lives are governed by a mad rush to meet deadlines and long hours spent travelling to work. While we can't compromise on our work, we tend to negotiate with sleep. This bargain has posed an increased risk of diabetes,” said another expert.
He said: “Chronic sleep deprivation also elevates levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. High levels of stress can further lead to insulin resistance, due to which the body fails to use insulin to transfer glucose to cells to provide energy. This ultimately leads to diabetes. Insulin resistance can also harm organs such as eyes, kidneys or heart.”
