More than a Third of Adults With Diabetes Affected by Sleep Apnea

August 30, 2008

When collapsed airways result in impaired breathing, sleep apnea happens. People affected wake up many times during the night. New research now suggests that people with type 2 diabetes may constitute the 36% of diabetics who suffer from sleep apnea.

The Whittier Institute for diabetes in La Jolla, California had their researchers examine the sleeping habits of 279 adults with type 2 diabetes. One of three of these suffered from sleep apnea. They found that men, chiefly those over 62 years old were two times more than women to suffer from sporadic sleep.

This is not a surprise as a prior research has shown the link among glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and interrupted sleep. This is the first research though that examined data from a diabetes clinic. Dr. Daniel Einhorn, the lead researcher said that type 2 patients should be screened on a regular basis for sleep apnea as treatment for this condition has shown to lower the blood pressure and improve the blood sugar level.

We have more information on related matter like sleep deprivation or sleep disorders. There are other studies that link obesity and so to type 2 diabetes to lack of sleep, loss of REM sleep, snoring and other disorders that are related to sleep.

When one does not get enough sleep especially the REM sleep (short for rapid eye movement which happens when one is sleeping deeply), naturally one will be drowsy and perhaps irritable all day long. This will be enough to make one eat more and you know where that leads to. This is considered to be one diabetes risk.


Craving for foods with high sugar content is likely going to be the result of sleep deprivation. To stop the cycle of lack of sleep, then eat fast-energy foods, maybe a visit to a sleep disorder clinic where the problem can be addressed.