Certain health conditions can make it tough to get good quality sleep, and diabetes is no exception. An unfortunate aspect of diabetes is that it can not only have an impact on getting to sleep and the actual quality of your sleep, but your sleep in turn can also have an effect on your diabetes symptoms.
We take a closer look at the relationship between diabetes and sleep, including the sleep disorders that are more common in individuals with diabetes, as well as how your sleep quality can affect your blood sugar levels.
What is diabetes?
Before we talk about how diabetes can potentially impact your sleep, it's essential to talk about the different types of diabetes out there. All types are simply a medical condition that causes the sugar levels in your blood to become too high due to a lack of insulin, or the insulin you do make not working as intended.
Type 1 diabetes occurs at any age, but is commonly diagnosed in children and teenagers, with no known way to prevent it. Type 2, on the other hand, is more common in older people and those who are overweight, and can be prevented or even stopped. A less common third type is gestational diabetes, but this only happens during pregnancy.
Can sleep affect your blood sugar levels?
How much sleep you get can impact the amount of sugar in your blood, which in turn has a direct impact on whatever type of diabetes you have. Sleeping causes the hormone leptin to be produced, which reduces your instinct to seek out food. A lack of sleep can result in reduced levels of this hormone, meaning you're hungrier throughout the day and risk uneven blood sugar levels. It can also cause overeating, potentially leading to obesity, which in turn increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Insomnia, in particular, has been found to play an increased role in the development of type 2 diabetes. A study of 337,000 adults in the UK found that those who struggled with sleep had higher levels of blood sugar than those who didn't experience any insomnia symptoms.
What sleep disorders are more common with diabetes?
An unfortunate side effect of diabetes is that you not only have to manage the diabetes itself, but it can also lead to a higher chance of developing other health conditions. For sleep, in particular, type 2 diabetes is the biggest concern, with two sleep disorders being more likely:
Obstructive sleep apnoea
The official description of sleep apnoea from the NHS is when your breathing pattern stops and starts whilst sleeping. As you might expect, this can have some pretty big problems if it continues, as it can cause you to wake up frequently with some of the symptoms, including feeling tired, headaches, mood swings and struggling to concentrate.
The most common type of sleep apnoea is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), which is when the muscles in your throat relax and accidentally block your airway. An unfortunate issue for those with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, is that OSA and diabetes both increase the risk of each other. So, if you have OSA, then you're more likely to get type 2 diabetes, and likewise the other way around.
A study found that moderate to severe OSA is more likely to increase the blood sugar levels for those with type 2 diabetes. This is because OSA causes hypoxemia, which is a low level of oxygen in the blood, thereby increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia, a common problem associated with diabetes, characterised by a lack of glucose in the bloodstream. The more severe the case of OSA, the more likely it is to cause hyperglycaemia.
Restless legs syndrome
Another common sleep disorder, particularly in those with type 2 diabetes, is Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). This is when you're lying in bed at night and have a powerful urge to move your legs, which might even lead to tingling or pain. Studies have found that 25% of those with diabetes also show signs of RLS, and those with diabetes are more likely to develop RLS compared to people without diabetes.
