Diabetic patients report higher rates of insomnia, poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and higher use of sleeping medications. A recent study suggests that sleep duration, quality and bed timing are important modifiable lifestyle features for improving postprandial glucose metabolism in healthy adults. The study findings were published in the journal Diabetologia on November 30, 2021.
Sleep quality also has a direct causal effect on many conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Several studies suggest a strong link between sleep quality/duration and glucose homeostasis. However, data on sleep and postprandial glucose metabolism typically emanate from small studies conducted in tightly controlled settings and in specific population subgroups. Therefore, Dr Tsereteli and colleagues conducted a study to investigate whether an individual's sleep quality, duration and timing impact glycaemic response to a breakfast meal the following morning.
Personalized REsponses to DIetary Composition Trial 1 (PREDICT1), was a single-arm, multiple-test-meal challenge study conducted over 14 consecutive days. The researchers included a total of 953 [41% twins] healthy participants and gave isoenergetic standardized meals over 2 weeks in the clinic and at home. They used actigraphy to assess sleep variables (duration, efficiency, timing) and continuous glucose monitors to measure glycaemic variation (>8000 meals).
Key findings of the study:
Upon analysis, the researchers found a significant association between sleep variables and postprandial glycaemic control at both between- and within-person levels.
They noted that bedtime significantly affects blood sugar - the later a person goes to bed, the more likely they are to develop suboptimal glycemic control.
They also noted that earlier bedtime was associated with healthy levels of glucose fluctuation.
They found that longer sleep periods were associated with lower blood glucose following high-carbohydrate and high-fat breakfasts, indicating better blood glucose control.
They noted that later sleep midpoint (time deviation from midnight) was significantly associated with higher postprandial glucose, in both between-person and within-person comparisons.
The authors concluded, "Poor sleep efficiency and later bedtime routines are associated with more pronounced postprandial glycaemic responses to breakfast the following morning. A person's deviation from their usual sleep pattern was also associated with poorer postprandial glycaemic control. These findings underscore sleep as a modifiable, non-pharmacological therapeutic target for the optimal regulation of human metabolic health."
For further information:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-021-05608-y