Better sleep, better blood sugar? Study links sleep patterns to glucose stability

Medical Xpress / JAMA Network Open / ^ | March 7, 2025 | Justin Jackson / Luqi Shen et al

[ConservativeMind]

Research has found that inadequate sleep duration and late sleep onset are associated with increased glycemic variability in adults.

Blood sugar regulation plays a critical role in metabolic health, with fluctuations in glucose levels linked to diabetes complications. Previous research has identified insufficient sleep as a risk factor for impaired glucose metabolism.

In the study, researchers conducted a prospective cohort study to evaluate the relationship between long-term sleep duration and onset timing with glycemic variability.

The study analyzed 1,156 participants, aged 46 to 83, from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study. Participants underwent self-reported sleep assessments across multiple visits and wore CGM devices for 14 consecutive days to capture real-time blood glucose fluctuations.

Four distinct sleep duration trajectories emerged: severe inadequate sleep (4.7 to 4.1 hours per night), moderate inadequate sleep (6.0 to 5.5 hours), mild inadequate sleep (7.2 to 6.8 hours), and adequate sleep (8.4 to 8.0 hours)

Two sleep onset timing groups were identified: persistent early sleep onset and persistent late sleep onset.

CGM analysis found that individuals in the severe inadequate sleep group had a 2.87% increase in glycemic variability (coefficient of variation, CV) and a 0.06 mmol/L rise in mean daily glucose fluctuations (MODD) compared to those in the adequate sleep group.

Participants in the late sleep onset group had a 1.18% greater glycemic variability and a 0.02 mmol/L increase in MODD. Those experiencing both short sleep and late sleep onset exhibited greater glycemic variability compared to those with either factor alone, indicating a compounded effect on blood sugar regulation.

Long-term inadequate sleep duration and delayed sleep onset correlated with greater blood glucose fluctuations, suggesting that both factors contribute to metabolic dysregulation.

Results suggest that maintaining sufficient sleep duration and earlier sleep onset may be a crucial factor in optimizing glycemic control and mitigating diabetes-related risks.

[ConservativeMind]

Endeavor to get to sleep earlier and to sleep longer and more soundly, to help with some aspects of diabetes.

[ConservativeMind]

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