Diabetes And Sleep Disorders

Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to produce or appropriately use insulin, while a sleep disorder also known as somnipathy refers to the disruption in the normal sleep patterns of a person or animal. A new case study presented at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Society advocates that healthy young people who habitually got less than 6.5 hours of sleep a night had greater insulin resistance. Contrary to this people who got 7.5 to 8.5 hours of rest had a lesser insulin resistance. This is an issue of prime concern, as insulin resistance is the condition that often leads to Type 2 diabetes.

The connection between the two diseases is relevant from the fact that many people who suffer from sleep deprivation because of a sleep disorder are also affected with diabetes. Certain studies have proved that sleep is necessary for the efficient functioning of a normal immune system and to sustain the capacity to fight disease and sickness. Sleep is also important for the normal working of the nervous system and for a regular, healthy cell growth. It is also seen that obesity and lack of appropriate exercise tends to aggravate the occurrence of diabetes. Obesity can be prevented to a large extent if a person gets adequate sleep of more than 7 hours along with other precautions. People suffering from different types of sleep disorders experience fatigue and generally tend to remain dull and weak, as a result of which regular exercise becomes an impossibility. Sleep is as significant to a person's health as food or water.

Studies and researches have also shown that people with a frequent breathing disorder, which strikes while they are asleep, increases the risk of their being prone to diabetes later in life. A link between obstructive sleep apnea and early signs of diabetes has also been established. Doctors have also found that half of apnea patients seemed to have symptoms of a diabetes-related metabolic disorder.

Diabetes and sleep disorders are grave problems that are being faced by a large number of people residing in the US. Increased work pressure combined with growing anxiety and tensions are a leading cause of sleep disorders among both young and old alike. Thus care should be taken to minimize occurrences of sleep disorders by taking adequate precautions.

Sleep Disorders

Parsomnias

Dyssomnias

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Hypnogogia

"O Sleep, rest of all things, mildest of the gods, balm of the soul..."

(Iris to Hypnos. Ovid, Metamorphoses)