New research published by the American Diabetes Association connects lack of sleep with higher blood sugar levels and potentially type 2 diabetes risk.

The reasons behind the connection remain unclear. Researchers aren’t sure whether a lack of quality sleep causes changes in the regulation of blood sugar, the body’s sensitivity to insulin or if insulin secretion is reduced, but the results of recent experiments showed higher blood sugar levels in subjects who had not had a full night’s sleep.

Scientists studied a cross section of 62 obese adolescents at the Clinical Translational Research Centre and Sleep Laboratory in a tertiary care children’s hospital with an average age of 14, who were monitored over a 36-hour period. The subjects underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), anthropometric measurements, overnight polysomnography, and a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT).

Levels of insulin and blood sugar were calculated and compared with the amount of sleep the individual had had. Dr. Dorit Koren, an author of the study and a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia concluded that to keep glucose levels stable in teenagers, the optimal amount of sleep is 7.5 to 8.5 hours.

An adequate amount of sleep, as well as stable blood sugar levels, are important for proper development and to decrease the risk of other health conditions.

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