The link between diabetes and sleep disorders

The link between diabetes and sleep disorders

What could be better than a good night's sleep to recharge your batteries and start the day feeling fresh and rested? We spend about a third of our lives asleep [1], but sometimes our sleep is not as restful as we would like it to be. Short nights, frequent wake-ups, difficulty falling asleep, insomnia: is there a link between diabetes and sleep disorders? And what solutions are available to help you sleep better?

How are diabetes and sleep disorders linked?

A good night's sleep is essential for the well-being of your body and mind [2,3]. According to clinical research, one-third of people with diabetes are affected by sleep disorders [2]. Many studies have been carried out to understand the link between diabetes and sleep problems, and the relationship between diabetes and sleep disorders has been shown to be bi-directional [4].

On the one hand, an insufficient amount of sleep (6.5 hours or less), frequent waking up and abnormal night-time breathing may complicate diabetes management. How can this be explained? It would appear that during sleep, a whole host of regenerative physiological processes take place, but they can be disrupted by nights that are too short or fragmented. This is thought to lead to hormonal imbalance, impaired glucose metabolism, and insulin resistance, which can, in turn, lead to fluctuating blood glucose levels [1,2,4,5,6].

On the other hand, having diabetes may affect the quality and duration of sleep, especially when it is unbalanced [4,5,7]. In the case of hyperglycaemia, a frequent urge to urinate and intense thirst can lead to waking up several times a night.[5] The symptoms of hypoglycaemia, such as tachycardia and excessive sweating, can also lead to waking up and/or poor quality sleep [2,5,7]. Unbalanced diabetes, especially when associated with being overweight, is also thought to be conducive to sleep apnoea. This is a night-time breathing disorder that causes insufficient blood oxygenation and often results in reduced quality sleep and shorter nights [1,2,4].

Other factors, sometimes associated with diabetes, can also promote sleep disorders:

• Fear of hypoglycaemia [6];
• Overweight and obesity [2,4];
• Restless legs syndrome - the urge to move your legs accompanied by an unpleasant feeling of itching, trembling, or pain [2];
• Diabetic neuropathy [2,5];
• Insufficient production of the sleep hormone melatonin [7];
• Depression [5].

A few tips to help you sleep better

Rest assured: having diabetes does not necessarily mean that you have to sleep poorly. There are many solutions aimed at helping you fall asleep faster and get your sleep patterns back on track. Here a few recommendations:

• Try to keep your body weight under control by following a well balanced diet and by doing regular physical activity [1,2,4];
• Consider limiting smoking, caffeinated and sugar-rich foods and drinks [2,8];
• Try as much as possible to go to bed and get up at the same time every day so as not to disturb your biological clock [6] ;
• Do some kind of aerobic physical activity during the day, such as cycling, running, swimming, and dancing [2,10];
• Take a hot bath before going to bed [9];
• Include sleep-enhancing foods such as barley grass powder, lettuce, cherries, kiwi fruit, or nuts in your dinners [8];
• Do some meditation and/or yoga [3,11].

As sleep disturbances can affect blood glucose levels, sleeping better and longer will not only improve your general well-being but also help manage your diabetes [4,6]!