Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disorder that results from the body’s inability to make use of available insulin along with relative insulin deficiency.
T2D constitutes approximately 90 to 95% of all diabetes cases worldwide. It is one of the most common non-communicable diseases and is an escalating public health problem globally, with an estimated 540 million diabetes cases in the world in 2021 (International Diabetes Federation, 2021). Diabetes is associated with factors such as stress, a sedentary lifestyle and the consumption of poor-quality processed food.
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Irregular sleeping patterns, with variation in sleep duration, have also been associated with T2D, and the association is assumed to be bidirectional. A July 2024 study conducted by Kianersi and colleagues and published in Diabetes Care has now shown that irregular sleeping duration could be linked to T2D risk.
Sleep deviation of 31 to 45 minutes increased T2D risk by 15%
The observational study, which used UK Biobank data, explored the association between irregular sleep duration and the development of diabetes in a UK population. The study included 84,421 UK Biobank participants who were free of diabetes at the time of inclusion and provided accelerometer data from 2013 to 2015. The accelerometer is a device that captures the activity level of the person and functions like a smartwatch. The participants had a seven-year follow-up to check the development of T2D.
There were 2,058 new T2D cases over 622,080 person-years of follow-up. The researchers found that patients with a sleep deviation of 31 to 45 minutes on average had a 15% increased risk of T2D compared to the patients with a deviation of 30 minutes or less. The risk of T2D increased in a linear fashion as sleep deviation increased. Patients with 91 minutes or more deviation had a 59% higher risk than participants with minimal sleep deviation after adjusting for age, sex and race.
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Poor and irregular sleeping is a growing health problem that is associated with modern lifestyles. People are increasingly stressed due to demanding work and family commitments, which impacts their sleeping behaviour, pattern and amount. Another major factor is the increased use of digital devices such as mobile phones before sleep. As the use of mobile phones is expected to rise, irregular and poor sleeping is only going to get worse in the future.
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By GlobalDataThe number of T2D cases is already very high. GlobalData epidemiologists forecast that in 2024 there will be 240 million diagnosed prevalent cases in the 16 major markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the UK and the US), and that this will increase to 260 million cases by 2032. The number of diagnosed cases could increase further if irregular sleeping becomes more widespread.
Adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day. Irregular sleep patterns disrupt the circadian rhythm, interfere with glucose metabolism, trigger hormone imbalances and reduce insulin sensitivity. This increases the possibility of T2D, threatening the health of millions of people worldwide. Good quality and duration of sleep are important aspects of people’s lives and should not be neglected. Public health support is needed to create good sleep awareness and provide support to modify lifestyle factors.
