Diabetes risk of failing to get a good night’s slumber

INSOMNIA increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes – even among those with a healthy weight, a study has found.

In the first major analysis to link the two, researchers concluded that those suffering poor sleep were 17 per cent more likely to develop diabetes.

Academics looked at data from nearly a million Europeans to identify 19 risk factors for diabetes. Alongside sleep problems, these factors include depression, high caffeine consumption, obesity and high cholesterol.

The Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed data from 1,360 studies which researched 75,000 people with diabetes and 825,000 without. The team found insomnia increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 17 per cent, but 7 per cent when adjusting for obesity. Experts think sleep deprivation leads to a decrease in insulin secretion – the hormone which regulates blood sugar levels. Poor sleep also increases cortisol levels, which decrease insulin’s efficiency.

Edward Johnston, from Diabetes UK, said: ‘This research adds to the growing evidence that poor sleep quality could also be associated with an increased risk.’

Around 4.7million people in the UK have diabetes, with rates soaring due to Britain’s obesity epidemic. Two-thirds of adults in the country classify as obese or overweight. Type 1 diabetes is an unpreventable autoimmune disease that develops in childhood but type 2 is caused by poor diet.

Lead author Professor Susanna Larsson said: ‘Our study confirmed several previously established risk factors and identified novel potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes using the latest summary-level data. Findings should inform public health policies for the primary prevention of type 2 diabetes.

‘Prevention strategies should be constructed from multiple perspectives, such as lowering obesity and smoking rates, improving mental health, sleep quality, educational level and birth weight.’

The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, also identified 15 factors that protect against diabetes such as high levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, having a healthy birth weight, remaining lean and going to university.