Beware, often staying up late increases the risk of diabetes

Besides being able to cause drowsiness and fatigue, staying up late can cause various kinds of diseases, one of which is diabetes. Check out the full explanation of why this activity is associated with diabetes in the following review.
The link between staying up late and increasing the risk of diabetes
Staying up late is an activity that reduces sleep time at night. Not only for work reasons, sometimes this activity is done for the sake of watching movies, football matches, or playing social media.
Besides making you sleep deprived, staying up late often can also increase the risk of various diseases, including diabetes.
There are many studies showing that lack of sleep (under 6 hours per night) makes a person have irregular eating habits, snack more, tend to consume unhealthy foods, rarely exercise, and gain weight.
Other studies have found that sleep deprivation can directly affect how the body produces other hormones; which in turn affects blood sugar.
When you stay up late, your body makes more cortisol, which affects how insulin works. Insulin is the body’s natural hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism.
When the body’s biological clock (circadian rhythm) is disrupted by staying up late, it makes cells more resistant to insulin.
In one study, researchers altered the circadian rhythms of 16 healthy people by allowing them only 5 hours of sleep each night for 5 days.
When the participants ate at night—when the body is not biologically ready for spikes in blood sugar—their bodies were unable to use insulin normally.
Also Read: 12 Danger of staying up late for Health, Don’t Underestimate!
The Relationship between Sleep Disorders and Diabetes Mellitus
Staying up late is not always associated with lifestyle, but can also be associated with health problems. The following are some medical conditions that may cause diabetes, including:
1. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that often occurs in people with diabetes. This condition is more often found in people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea is feeling tired during the day and snoring at night. A person is more at risk of experiencing this condition if there are family members who have a history or if they are obese.
2. Restless Legs Syndrome
restless legs syndrome or restless leg syndrome (RLS) is characterized by a constant urge to move the legs at night.
RLS can occur because the body lacks iron. While factors that increase the risk of RLS are high blood glucose levels, kidney problems, and, thyroid disorders.
If you think you have RLS, see your doctor immediately to review your symptoms. This step is especially important if you have a history of anemia.
3. Insomnia
You may be more at risk for insomnia if you have high stress levels along with high glucose levels.
It’s best to find out why you can’t sleep, such as a high-stress job or family problems. Getting the right medical treatment can help determine what triggers your insomnia.
If you often experience sleep disturbances, you should visit a doctor to find out the exact cause. This step is also important to help prevent the risk of developing diabetes.
- Anonymous. 2021. The Impact of Poor Sleep on Type 2 Diabetes. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/professionals/diabetes-discoveries-practice/the-impact-of-poor-sleep-on-type-2-diabetes. (Accessed January 11, 2023)
- Beil, Laura. 2021. How Sleep Affects Your Blood Sugar. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/sleep-affects-blood-sugar. (Accessed January 11, 2023)
- Hodgson, Lisa. 2021. How Does Diabetes Affect Sleep?. https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/diabetes-and-sleep. (Accessed January 11, 2023)
- Newman, Tim. 2018. Just 6 hours of sleep loss increases diabetes risk. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323004. (Accessed January 11, 2023)
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