Conspiracy Towards Sleep Deprivation Causes Diabetes?

Russell Sanna is the executive director of Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine. He said that society has a conspiracy to avoid sleeping. These concerns are evident across all age demographics. Many workers deprive themselves of needed sleep as they try to put in more hours in work in their attempt to win the rat race. Teenagers stay up late texting, instant messaging and updating their Facebook statuses. Other people suffer from serious insomnia problems due to stress, poor diets, depression and other complications.

Lack of Sleep and Risk of Diabetes

The conference cited studies showing a strong correlation between a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes. They have found that people who sleep fewer than 5 hours have a significantly greater chance of developing Type 2 diabetes as they age. In addition, workers who change their work schedules or others with inconsistent sleep schedules are at an even higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other health complications.

Although lack of sleep can clearly raise the risk of developing diabetes in and of itself, it can also raise the risk indirectly. People who don’t get enough sleep don’t tend to exercise as much, which is one of the largest factors leading to the onset of diabetes. Also, studies have found that people tend to make poorer diet decisions when they are sleep deprived. However,researchers have placed most of their emphasis on the indirect factors that set the stage for diabetes among sleep deprived individuals. A new report shows the direct link between sleep deprivation and diabetes is more clear than previously thought.

Health Risks of Sleep Deprivation

A new study published last week showed that a lack of sleep changes biological rhythms, thereby placing people at a much higher risk of developing medical problems later on. This study observed 21 subjects who were only allowed to sleep for 5.5 hours every day. The study found that their circadian rhythms were distorted. According to Massachusetts neuroscientist Orfeu Buxton, their blood sugar levels increased dramatically after meals as their insulin production wasn’t strong enough to curb the sugar levels. The subjects’ metabolic output dropped sharply as well.